HUMAN Resources Minister M. Saravanan’s act of lodging a police report against a union leader has upset the workforce that is already under severe stress because of the Covid-19 pandemic, said Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) today.

President Abdul Halim Mansor said the minister’s action against National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) general secretary J. Solomon will only cause more resentment against the government.

“We urge the prime minister to tell Saravanan and other ministers to listen to the views of unions, and not cut us off with attempts to intimidate us by this sort of action,” he said in a statement.

“The prime minister must know that the action of his ministers will have a direct bearing on how much anger or hatred it will build against the government.

“No one should underestimate the sufferings the workers are going through and the anger that is building up on the ground.”

He said Saravanan should immediately withdraw his police report against Solomon and mend the fence instead of damaging the relationship, which is vital for a progressive nation.

On Tuesday, police called up Solomon to give a statement after Saravanan lodged a report against him for alleged slander and misleading the public.

This was after Solomon had called out the ministry for being lax in enforcing the standards for the living arrangements of employees.

Last month, the minister announced that the enforcement of Act 446 rules governing workers’ housing standards will be postponed until the end of the year following representations from the manufacturing sector, which had asked for more time in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Halim said if Solomon is punished for speaking up, then the government has descended to a very low level.

“To lodge a report for criminal defamation only shows that the minister is intolerant, something that does not augur well for the Malaysian workforce, which is already under severe stress because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

He added that in his 40 years of handling labour issues and communicating with more than 10 ministers from various ministries, none has ever resorted to lodging reports against him for statements he made in defence of labour rights.

“In my 40 years of being a union leader at the highest level, I have made thousands of media statements questioning government actions and implementation of labour laws that have made life difficult for the poor workers,” he said.

“I have also agreed with some of them and supported them accordingly. Others have been honest and hard-hitting as they needed to be.”

He said MTUC is absolutely flabbergasted with the Saravanan’s action at a time when the ministry should be seeking the help of unions to make workers’ lives easier, and not go to the police when criticised. – May 20, 2021.