Restrictions against unionised workers from picketing on a trade dispute which has been brought to the Industrial Court will in the future apply even to non-unionised workers.

This was the warning issued today by national treasurer of the pro-tem Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) A Sivarajan against the proposed amendments to the Industrial Relations Act and Trade Unions Act.

Given that only seven to 10 percent of the country's 10 million workers are unionised, the new laws will have far-reaching effects on workers' right to freedom of expression if they are passed by Parliament, said Sivarajan.

The proposed amendments were tabled on July 3 and are scheduled to be debated in Parliament's next sitting, which is set to begin on Wednesday.

"The new laws will give even more control to the authorities over workers and curtail their right to freedom of expression," said Sivarajan when contacted today.

Sivarajan said this will be among the main issues raised with the Human Resources Ministry when hundreds of workers assemble this Wednesday in Putrajaya to demonstrate against the proposed changes to the labour laws.

'Picket this Wednesday'

According to him, the 200-300 workers taking part in the demonstration will travel from Sungai Siput and Tanjung Malim in Perak, Rawang, Shah Alam, and Klang in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.

While most will be from the manufacturing and services sectors, the workers are protesting because of the detrimental effects of the proposed amendments on workers as a whole, he added.

PSM, which is organising the demonstration together with grassroots rights group Jerit, will also call for the implementation of a minimum wage law for workers in the public sector.

Both groups and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) had earlier objected to what they regard as the arbitrary and unilateral move of the ministry to bulldoze the amendment bills through Parliament.

Initially indignant when it was believed that workers' unions and major private firms had not been consulted prior to the tabling of the amendments, they were incensed upon realising that the new laws were actually proposed following pressure from the Malaysian Employers Federation.

The groups have also objected to the bills on the grounds they will limit compensation for a worker who has been unjustly-sacked for up to two years from the time of his or her dismissal.

In the case of a worker who has taken five years to settle at the Industrial Court, therefore, he or she would only receive a 24-month pay and the remaining three years worth of compensation will not be paid.

The bills also contain a proposal that a dismissed worker, even one nearing retirement, will not be able to sue for loss of future earnings.