Workers are crucial partners in the nation building process and must be given space to be involved in decision making, said Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

"The union movement can also be a crucial mechanism for dialogue and integration in our multi-racial society," she said in a message today in conjunction with the May Day celebration tomorrow.

The basic right to freedom of association and unionisation, Azizah added, should never be denied to workers.

"PKR reiterates its commitment to support trade union movement in order to protect and advance the interests of all workers," she said.

The PKR chief also urged the government to show its determination to reform and to get rid of all forms of exploitative labour policies.

Hopes on MTUC leadership

Meanwhile, human rights group Suaram urged the government to restore the political rights of workers.

"Workers cannot enjoy their rights and freedom while there is detention without trial, while the press is not free and while the police abuse their power with impunity," Suaram director Dr Kua Kia Soong said in a statement today.

He said the workers habour great hopes that the new MTUC leaders will live up to their expectation to revive the labour movement and restore workers' rights in the country.

He said the labour law must be reformed to allow all workers to form national unions and to do away with bureaucratic supervision of union affairs and hampering of workers' rights.

"Today, there are fewer than 10 percent of Malaysia's 10 million workers who are unionised and many are organised in in-house unions and not in national unions," he added.

A May Day celebration organised by MTUC will be held tonight at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.