KUALA LUMPUR: The Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) is optimistic that job seekers will not be left in the lurch in the proposed amendments of the Employment Act 1955.
The organisation said protecting job seekers were crucial as discrimination occurs even during recruitment.
“About 40 per cent of women surveyed said that they had been asked by interviewers if they were pregnant or had plans to become pregnant, according to a WAO survey.
“There have also been cases where hotels have banned frontline staff from wearing the tudung.
“Protecting job seekers is crucial because discrimination often happens during recruitment,” said WAO advocacy and communications officer Tan Heang-Lee.
She said although currently there is no protection against discrimination in the private sector, leaving many victims of discrimination without redress, the organisation is optimistic that the Human Resources Ministry would look into this.
“We note that Human Resources Ministry has stated that the government is still discussing the proposed anti-discrimination provision for job seekers under the Employment Act.
“We are glad that the provision is still under consideration, and we are optimistic that the Human Resources Minister (M. Kulasegaran) and the cabinet will ensure job seekers are not left out of the Employment Act.”
The organisation also welcomed further engagements with the ministry to establish better employment laws in Malaysia.
On Monday, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) called upon the government to include protection for job seekers against discrimination in amending the Employment Act.
It said there was suggestion for the phrase “job seekers” and a section of the draft amendment to protect people looking for jobs to be removed.
Suhakam said the government should protect both job seekers as well as employees from workplace discrimination.
Amendments to the 64-year-old Employment Act, legislated in 1955, will be tabled in Parliament in the October sitting. Five other labour legislations, including the Trade Union Act 1959 and the Industrial Relations Act 1967, would also be amended.