Recently, Singapore and Malaysia rejected ILO’s international treaty to end workplace violence
Governments around the world recently (21 June) signed a landmark International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) global treaty to end workplace violence and harassment.
Six governments abstained from signing the treaty, including Singapore and Malaysia. This has led to backlash from local advocacy groups, who have urged their governments to adopt the employer-binding convention.
This is the “very first time” the international community is equipping itself with a global standard to combat violence and harassment at work, said ILO director-general Guy Ryder after its adoption.
The treaty aims to protect workers, irrespective of contractual status, from harassment in places where they are paid, taking a rest, eating or using sanitary facilities. It also covers work-related trips, training, social activities, communications and commutes, reported Reuters.
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Last week, Malaysia’s Minister of Human Resources M Kulasegaran explained the highly controversial decision to take a neutral stand “for now”.
“In the adoption of the convention on violence and harassment in the world of work, the government of Malaysia voted to abstain due to the following reason that is we cannot be in conflict with our stakeholders, the MTUC and MEF,” Kulasegaran said.
The minister was referring to the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), who had one vote each for the ILO treaty. The state was allowed two votes, according to Malaysiakini.
“In the spirit of tripartism, which is the core value of international labour standards, our ministry consulted with MTUC and MEF and was informed that both parties had a strong opposition towards the convention,” he said. “Both voted 'no'.
“Taking into consideration these strong views by both workers and employers, it is of concern that the proposed convention includes a wide scope of application for workers, including those not in actual employment [such as] jobseekers, temporary workers.”
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has not issued a statement with regards to their vote.
However, last year, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo asserted that the MOM currently takes a multi-pronged approach in protecting employees from workplace harassment. These include the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) and several employer guidelines set by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP).
