Private Sector Employees - Job Security at Stake !

1997, Malaysian economy took a tumble then where hundred thousand of workers within the private sector losses their job. At that time the banking sector employees received the major brunt due to the downturn of economy and followed by the manufacturing sector mainly those of electronic silicon based industries. Mergers of the banking sector,entails to several thousand of employees been retrenched,lay off, redesignated and strips off benefit that they have enjoyed over the years of dedicated employment.

The same form of mergers, consolidation so with cost cutting exercise within the manufacturing sectors came in the shape of takeovers with new coporate identity which gave them the most opportune time for re-organization, trimming and cutting corners just to show proof of prudent management style.

Time and again the private sectors employee continues to be at the receiving end especially those that are employed with manufacturing sector for export product. Any form of global economic ripples will affect them directly or indirectly. These are external factor that will decide their employment fate.

Whenever time of global economic depression, multinational company own and manage by foreign expats will seize the opportunity to rationalize their management decision in employee retrenchment and lay-off. Many at time the rational behind any employees re-organization is due to the parent company back home facing problem such as massive decline in their group profit, mis-management and wrongdoing of company in the country of origin. So any form of rationalization taken will observe their oversea subsidiaries will be the first to take the beating.

These are key learning that need to be considered and evaluated by the government of today, to only allow foreign investors with the intention of not only making substantial profit contribution to their group but to ensure a more form of deversified oppotunities, shares of knowledge and the most crucial are the requirement of re-investment and reasonable retention of company profit earning within the host country for the well being of local employees which have contributed to the multinational prosperity.

Sad to say that the government are more interested in the lucrative company tax on profit. Though Malaysia have gone through several economic recessions, employees within the private sector continue to suffer with very little effort or nothing at all to ease the trauma of losing a job. Our labour law is such a jurassic piece of legislation, not in tandem with the economic well being of the country. We yet to convincingly establish our minimum salary,lawmakers are too busy with politicking and the parlimentarian are mainly those type of keen businessman where workers plight are the most remote issue thats need revision.

The private sectors employees are left in limbo over the years, whilst the public sector continue to enjoy the best of both worlds, job security, extended benefit in kind, pensionable employment, low interest in borrowing of government sponsored loan and many more tangible and intangible fetish. Kudos to them, especially Cuepac leadership which consistently pressured the government to maximise usage and disburse taxpayer money for their members.

MTUC, which only cater to champion the welfare of those workers, affiliated with them under inhouse or national union has not been able to achieve any significant progress for the betterment of private sector employees. A sad case with MTUC, with no clear direction in their course of ensuring fraternity, solidarity and unity of Malaysian private sectors employees.

The vicious cycle of economic recession which seem to appear in 10 years interval, will only add to the growing number of unemployment, social inbalance,diminishing passion in job loyalty and the end of one's self esteem - Job Security.