updated version A technical working group to address matters concerning women workers will be set up under the Women and Family Development Ministry, its minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said in Petaling Jaya today.

She said the working group will comprise representatives from the women's wing of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).

"We will discuss all issues regarding the welfare, well-being and rights of women workers in an organised manner," she said in her speech when opening a forum themed 'To respect and ensure women workers' rights'.

"If we have 100 issues to propose, we would be happy if 50 were approved. As we all know, the government has its limits," she told the 250 union representatives who were present.

Shahrizat said a blue print in all government departments on policies beneficial to women was needed because of the large number of women in the workforce.

In 1999, for instance, there were 2.99 million women workers in the country, Shahrizat revealed. In the same year, 725,300 workers joined trade unions, out of which, only 36 percent (263, 400) were women, as opposed to the worldwide agenda to get a 50 percent women's participation in trade unions.

Child creches

At the same function, MTUC women's section chairperson Silam Hassan handed over a six-point memorandum to Shahrizat on the enhancement of women workers' rights.

The memorandum called for:

1) The ratification of the International Labour Organisation Convention (ILO) 183. It includes maternity leave for women to be increased to three months from two, the allocation of a special mothers area at the workplace for breastfeeding purposes, the eradication of all forms of discrimination against women who are pregnant, before and after birth, measures to ensure workplace safety and a stipulation that dismissals are not related to pregnancy;

2) The enforcing of laws to ensure there are child creches at the workplace or at a location close to the workplace;

3) A Sexual Harassment Act for the workplace to be drafted by the government;

4) A national trade union for workers in the electronic sector;

5) The quality of training for women workers to be enhanced and continuous training by employers for women workers so that women will be better skilled; and

6) The quality of women's health to be ensured at the workplace and the enhancement of women's safety net from time to time.

Silam said MTUC will not tire of promoting women workers' rights despite holding the view that their achievements for the past 20 years were below expectations.

She urged Shahrizat and her new ministry to be more proactive and efficient in championing the rights of women workers, adding that prior to this many ministers have been invited to similar functions, including Napsiah Omar, Siti Zaharah Suleiman and Zaleha Ismail.

Electronics sector

As for the setting up of trade unions for electronics workers in the Free Trade Zone, Silam said women needed to protect themselves by becoming members of such unions.

"We have struggled for 30 years to organise a national trade union for electronics workers, but until today we have been unsuccessful.

"This is sad because in this sector most workers are women," Silam said.

She added that organising trade unions will not jeopardise the country's economic growth, citing Denmark as an example of a modern country with 80 percent of its workers organised into such unions. These workers help boost the economic growth of the country, and pickets or strikes are rare compared with the situation in less advanced countries, she said.

"The government should not hesitate to allow electronics workers to organise trade unions and the process for approving such unions should also be shortened," said Silam.

Asked whether the matters raised by MTUC would be addressed, Sharizat said she would leave it to the technical working group to discuss the issues.