The Department of Human Resources has moved to address recent concerns regarding the amendment of Act 265 of the Employment Act 1955.
In a statement today, the HR Ministry said the minister will receive a plan to ensure that the benefits and protections under Act 265 reach everyone regardless of their income.
“Subsequent changes should be made to the First Schedule of Act 265 by legislation provided by the powers of the HR Ministry of Labor under section 2 (2) of Act 265 to ensure that all workers in the country have access to benefits and protections under Act 265, “he said.
The department also said the First Amendment Plan had been prepared and promised that the plan would be implemented on the same day as the 2021 Employment (Amendment) Bill.
Yesterday, an independent lawyer questioned the amendment to the Employment Act 1955, saying that problems could arise after the removal, revision, and addition of certain provisions within the Act.
The CEO of the Galen Center for Health and Social Policy Azrul Mohd Khalib gave the example that one of the definitions of an employee under the First Schedule is the person who made the contract of employment with the employer for whom the salaries of the individual do not more than RM2, 000 per month.
Azrul said it would likely mean that both women and men earning more than 2,000 RM would not be eligible for the newly agreed 89-day leave and seven-day birth leave as well as protection against abortion in the planned Section. 41A prohibits the removal of a female employee due to pregnancy.
On Monday, amendments to the Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), which, inter alia, recommended that parental leave be increased from seven days to three days now, were approved in Dewan Rakyat today by a majority vote.
Deputy Minister of Human Resources Datuk Awang Hashim, introducing the Employment (Amendment) Act 2021 to read a second time, said the increase in parental leave allows more space for male staff to solve family problems after the adoption of their child.
Nineteen lawmakers from government and opposition parties drafted the bill, many of them dealing with parental leave, maternity leave, low income, and hard work.