Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
In a joint statement, the American Federation of Labor and Congress
of Industrial Organizations, or the AFL-CIO, and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress slammed authorities over the lack of transparency in ongoing talks and failure to consult trade unions and other civil societies.
<P>Negotiators held a fourth
round of talks earlier this month in San Francisco, and are due to meet again
next month in Malaysia.</P><P>The two labor organizations expressed concern that
a deal could erode workers’ rights, undermine government’s ability to regulate
in public interest and offer excessive protections for multinational corporations.</P><P>"There
is evidence that the Malaysian government continues to oppose any labor protections
in the trade agreement," the statement said.</P><P>The unions also alleged
that workers’ rights in both countries, including those of migrant workers’, were
not being protected by authorities.</P><P>For example, Malaysia’s government bans
electronic workers from forming a national trade union and there is no minimum
wages in sectors such as plantation and manufacturing which hires many foreign
laborers, MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud told The Associated Press.</P><P>A
Malaysian trade official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized
to speak to the media, said the government would ensure that the country’s interests
– including those of workers – are protected.</P><P>"We will not blindly
enter into an agreement. We will make sure that our national interests and that
of our consumers, workers and industries are taken into account," the official
told the AP.</P><P>The AFL-CIO is the largest U.S. federation of unions, representing
over 9 million workers. The MTUC represents some 750,000 workers in Malaysia.</P><P>The
two groups called for mechanisms to protect labor and social rights, compensation
policies to correct inequities due to restructuring and a more humane migration
regime.</P><P>Unless their concerns are addressed, the two groups warned they
would "strongly oppose the continued negotiation of the U.S.-Malaysia FTA
and work together to ensure that it is not implemented."</P><P>Malaysia is
the United States’ 10th-largest trading partner, with US$44 billion (euro35 billion)
in two-way trade in 2005. Officials say that figure will double by 2010 if the
pact is signed.</P><P>Malaysian Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz has said the pact
is unlikely to be concluded before the July 1 expiry of President George W. Bush’s
special "fast-track" trade authority, which allows him to submit a deal
to Congress for a straight up-and-down vote without amendments.</P><P>Among sticky
issues are liberalization of services and Malaysian government contracts, Malaysia’s
highly protected state car industry, its ban on majority foreign ownership of
banks and poor intellectual property rights, officials said.</P><P><I>Source:
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/01/29/ap3370296.html</I>
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