Six hundred factory workers will gather in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to launch a nationwide campaign highlighting their dismal working conditions and to press the government for improvements, including the recognition of workers' unions in the electronics industry.

Workers from the metal and textile sectors from various parts of Selangor and Perak will also take part in the gathering which is organised by the Kajang-based non-governmental organisation Network of Oppressed Peoples (Jerit!).

Contacted today, Jerit! coordinator K Raviechandran said the campaign will take place throughout 2004. It also aims to collect 200,000 signatures from factory workers throughout the country before submitting the petition of demands to the prime minister.

Another Jerit! coordinator, Dr Cecilia Anthonysamy, said the campaign will focus on six grievances shared generally by workers throughout the country.

One of the demands of the workers is for legislation to stipulate a minimum wage of RM900 for an eight-hour day, a suggestion that has been expressed previously by the Malaysian Trade Unions Congress (MTUC), among others, said Anthonysamy.

Minimum Wage Act

If the budget and needs of an average family were calculated taking into consideration inflation rates and housing, it would come up far more than the RM450-600 wage that many factory workers are receiving, she said.

"What we want is a Minimum Wage Act of RM900 per month. This has been suggested (previously) by the MTUC as well."

Related to the demand for minimum wage legislation are the working conditions found in many factories, wherein workers are forced to work on 10-12 hour shifts without being compensated, Anthonysamy said.

"Some workers are told 'Either you come to work from eight (in the morning) to eight (in the evening), or you don't work at all,'" she said.

Anthonysamy said workers are calling for an eight-hour working day, whereby any work beyond that should not only be compensated by overtime pay, but optional as well.

"This is in line with the recommendations of the International Labor Organisation for a 40-hour week," said Cecilia.

Considering the pittance received by workers in comparison to the compensation usually allocated to employees at the management levels, workers are also calling for a guaranteed annual increment of at least 6% of their wages in addition to an annual bonus of two months, said Anthonysamy.

"According to the studies we conducted, we found that 95% of company profits go to the management, while less than 5% of the profits that they make go towards paying wages, machinery and infrastructure."

Difficult to form unions

Another issue that the government is particularly sensitive about and has been reluctant to address seriously was the apparent 'antagonism' against labor unions in general and the absence of a national union of workers in the electronics industry in particular, she said.

She added that national labour laws allow for the formation of a workers' union contingent upon a membership of at least 51% of a company's employees.

The bureaucratic process, however, as well as 'union-busting activities' by some companies have resulted in the absence of national unions in some sectors, she said.

In the electronics industry, in particular, the government has been reluctant to allow a national union of workers because of the fear that such recognition would drive away foreign companies and scare away investment.

"Currently, our laws make it difficult to form unions. It should be made easy. If you have the minimum requirement of 51% you should be accorded immediate recognition.

"We feel that every factory should have a union," she said.

Other issues the workers will be highlighting at the Sunday launch include demands for three-month maternity leave as well as a mandatory 'retrenchment fund' in the event of company closure or economic downturns.