the blogging syed shahir

April 20, 2005

Q&A: MTUC - dealing with thorny issues

Filed under: Labour Movement, Interviews

by Claudia Theophilus (Malaysiakini)

While MTUC tries to engage the government in removing old thorny issues, the executive is busy reining in trade unions. MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud shares his fears in this exclusive interview.

Malaysiakini: With four representatives on the EPF Board, have they been informing workers on how their contributions are being invested and dividends calculated?

Syed Shahir: I’m not on the board yet as the EPF has yet to appoint the new members this year. We have sent our standard nominations comprising the president, the deputy and one each from Sabah and Sarawak. But we want to broaden this representation by having more. It shouldn’t be limited to (the present) five (four from the MTUC and one from Cuepacs). We must have a minimum of 10 workers’ representatives. We have proposed for this but no response so far. We’re also supposed to have a dialogue with the EPF once other issues are settled.

(more…)

April 19, 2005

MTUC sets sights on professional goals

Filed under: Labour Movement

by Claudia Theophilus (Malaysiakini)

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) does not wear any baju politik (it is non-partisan) and is striving to become a more professional labour centre, said its recently elected president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud.

A strong believer in both politics and professionalism, the 53-year-old veteran unionist said it is important to have both in an organisations, referring to the winds of change drifting through the corridors of the MTUC.

“How do you mobilise workers in an organisation with a lot of people holding a lot of political beliefs, political inclinations who could be members of A, B, C or even non-partisan?” he asked during a exclusive interview recently.






















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