KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — The Peninsular Malaysia Labour Department (JTKSM) will meet with MyAirline Sdn Bhd (MyAirline) management to discuss matters pertaining to the welfare of the airline staff following the suspension of its operations recently.
Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said the meeting was aimed at preparing a report on the next course of action that the ministry should take regarding the welfare of the employees of the low-cost airline.
“The JTKSM will be meeting with the company management today and they will provide me with a report on the matter,” he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.
Sivakumar said the Social Security Organisation (Socso) had been instructed to go down to the field to assess the actual situation.
Yesterday, the minister was reported to have said that more than 500 MyAirline employees were expected to receive the benefits of the Socso’s Employment Insurance System (SIP) if their services were terminated.
MyAirline Sdn Bhd suspended its operations from Oct 12 until further notice due to significant financial pressures, pending shareholder restructuring and recapitalisation.
Meanwhile, Sivakumar said there was no need for the government to enact a specific law to protect persons with disabilities from workplace discrimination.
According to him, the existing laws were sufficient to deal with the issue, adding that the number of reported cases of workplace discrimination was insignificant.
Sivakumar said that amendments to the Employment Act of 1955, which came into force on Jan 1 has included the necessary provisions, namely Section 69F, which authorises the Director General of the Department of Manpower to hear and decide on any discrimination-related issues.
He said this in reply to a question from William Leong Jee Keen (PH-Selayang) on whether the government has plans to formulate specific legislation to address the issue of workplace discrimination, particularly against the disabled, during the Dewan Rakyat sitting here.
