23/12/2025

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Concerns raised over ‘duplicate’ union registration

unions had acted together. Failures in representation can carry serious consequences for workers and companies alike,” he said. Pereira was responding to the approval by the Department of Trade Unions of a newly registered union bearing a name identical to that of an existing union. Separately, he said trade unions play a critical role in safeguarding workers’ rights, particularly those of foreign workers, through union monitoring and membership that enable access to collective agreements and additional social protections. “Hopefully, one day, foreign workers may also form their own trade unions and play an active role in the workplace.” Official data show that unionisation among foreign workers remains extremely limited. – by T.C Khor KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s inflation rose to 1.4% in November 2025, up from 1.3% in October, with the consumer price index at 135.1 points compared with 133.3 a year earlier, as reported by the Statistics Department (DOSM). Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the increase was mainly driven by faster price growth in education, which rose 2.6% from 2.4% in October. He said this was followed by alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which climbed 2.4% from 0.3% previously, while transport prices increased 0.2% after contracting 0.1% in October. Meanwhile, personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services rose 5.6%, down from 6.0% in October. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels increased 0.7%, compared with 1.1% previously, while furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance edged up 0.2%, slower than the 0.3% recorded a month earlier. Mohd Uzir said 61.1% of items, or 350 out of 573, recorded price increases in November. Of these, 342 items, or 97.7%, registered increases of 10% or less, while eight items recorded rises of more than 10%. A further 184 items, or 32.1%, posted declines and prices of 39 items remained unchanged. He said the average price of RON97 petrol rose to RM3.24 per litre in November from RM3.18 in October, compared with RM3.19 in November 2024. The average price of diesel in Peninsular Malaysia increased to RM3.05 per litre from RM2.92 in October, while diesel prices in Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan remained unchanged at RM2.15 per litre. At the state level, Johor and Negeri Sembilan recorded inflation of 1.9% each, above the national rate. Kuala Lumpur posted 1.7%, while Selangor recorded 1.6%. The remaining 12 states registered inflation at or below the national rate, with Kelantan recording the lowest increase at 0.2%. Compared with selected regional peers, Malaysia’s inflation was lower than Viet Nam at 3.6%, Indonesia at 2.7% and the Republic of Korea at 2.4%, but higher than China at 0.7% and Thailand, which recorded deflation of 0.5%. – Bernama ‘M’sia’s inflation up 1.4% in November’

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independently or in the interests of groups opposed to collective representation. However, Veeriah stressed that he fully supported the principle of freedom of association. “Freedom of association must be upheld, but setting newly registered unions against existing ones runs counter to the objective of

o Veteran trade unionist warns move could split membership and weaken collective bargaining

membership,” he said. theSun has contacted the department for comment and, as at press time, had yet to receive a response. The newspaper has sighted an official registration certificate confirming the union’s registration under Malaysian law.

Ű BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

collective bargaining power. He said amendments to the Trade Union Act 1959 were intended to broaden union membership by removing restrictive definitions, not to enable the formation of rival unions with identical names and coverage. “That could not have been Parliament’s intention when the Act was amended,” he said. The amended law was gazetted on Jan 12, 2024, and came into force on Sept 15. Veeriah also pointed to provisions requiring the Director-General of Trade Unions to refuse registration if a proposed union’s name is identical to, or closely resembles, that of an existing union in a way that could mislead or confuse. He said Section 12(3)(e)(i) should have guided the assessment of the application. “In allowing the registration of a union with both an identical name and identical scope of membership, the authorities have effectively opened the door to the division of an existing union’s membership,” he said. Veeriah warned that the move could set a precedent with far reaching implications for the labour movement. “What has happened could easily be repeated with other established unions. All it would take is to replicate an existing union’s name, add numerals and a long-standing union could suddenly face a rival body,” he said. He added that such fragmentation could weaken organised labour and create space for unscrupulous parties to undermine unions, whether acting Pereira said the use of identical or similar names could point to an intention to confuse workers but added that competition between unions could also be viewed as part of a democratic system that allows workers to choose their representation freely in line with freedom of association. He said freedom of association should remain central to trade unionism and rejected the idea that the emergence of new unions would automatically weaken the labour movement. Instead, Pereira said competition could push unions to organise more effectively and offer stronger solutions for workers. “I don’t think it’s going to cause fragmentation,” he said. At the same time, he questioned the labour regulator’s decision to approve the registration of unions with

PETALING JAYA: A labour rights group has urged that debates over the registration of similarly named trade unions should not lose sight of how effectively unions organise and represent workers. Labour rights activist Adrian Pereira of the North–South Initiative said while the registration of unions with identical or similar names could cause confusion, the issue should also prompt scrutiny of how well unions serve their members. “This includes organising efforts, information services and the ability to secure meaningful collective agreements. “If a union is providing the best service, the best response, the best organising and the best collective agreement, then the confusion will not arise,” he said, describing the issue as having “two sides of the coin”. PETALING JAYA: A veteran trade unionist has raised concerns over the registration of what he described as a “duplicate” trade union, warning that recent amendments to the Trade Union Act 1959 may have been misapplied in a move that risks fragmenting organised labour. K. Veeriah said the approval of a new union bearing a name and scope of membership almost identical to that of a long-established union had unsettled the labour movement. He was referring to the National Union of Employees in Companies Manufacturing Rubber Products, which was registered in 1962 under Registration No. 314. On April 17 this year, the Department of Trade Unions registered another body under the name National Union of Employees in Companies Manufacturing Rubber Products (2) 2024, assigned Registration No. 1285. Veeriah said the near-identical naming, differing only by the addition of numerals, had the potential to cause widespread confusion among workers and employers. “To worsen the situation, the scope of membership approved for the newly registered union mirrors that of the existing union,” he told theSun . He added that the new union had begun seeking recognition from companies that have long recognised the original body. Veeriah described the development as a form of union busting, arguing that the existence of two unions with identical identities would divide worker representation and weaken

SACRED LEGACY ...

A visitor viewing

Khatib’s Chair at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, which was presented by the Indian government to former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1965 for use in the national mosque. – SYED AZAHAR SYED OSMAN/THE SUN

Debate over names highlights deeper organising gaps

in the sector remains weak. “The question that needs to be asked is why no one has successfully organised the rubber glove industry all these years. Where is the union in all this?” Pereira also referred to an incident in the tyre industry, where long established unions existed but workers were still found to be experiencing indicators of forced labour. He said the workers took the matter to court in 2019 and won, but the manufacturer later shut down its operations, causing migrant workers to lose their jobs. Such cases raise questions about the gap between the presence of unions and actual worker protection. “These instances show the need for unions to examine their own role and effectiveness. The situation could have been avoided if both workers and

overlapping names. “We need to understand what the rationale and the logic are, and then check whether it is against the law or not.” Pereira added that there may be a gap between existing rules and how registrations are being approved, warranting closer scrutiny. He said the debate had also highlighted long-standing questions about union effectiveness in labour intensive industries that have faced repeated labour issues. As an example, Pereira pointed to the rubber glove sector, which he said has experienced problems before, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. He noted that Malaysia has one of the world’s largest rubber glove industries, employing tens of thousands of workers, yet unionisation