Malaysia: Stop union busting at Edgenta UEMS
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In partnership with the National Union of Workers in Hospital Support and Allied Services. NUWHSAS is a national union representing all cleaning workers employed by private concessionaire companies providing cleaning services at all Government Hospitals in Malaysia. |
UEM Group Berhad, a Malaysian government linked company (GLC), through its subsidiary, Edgenta UEMS, is currently engaged in a vicious union busting campaign, aggressively victimizing frontline hospital cleaners and their worksite union officials.
Since early 2020, the hospital janitors have been confronted by problems of widespread union busting activities in all its hospitals, like deliberate changing of workers’ working hours and shift unilaterally without prior consent from them. Workers active in the union have also been punished by arbitrarily transferring them out to hospitals far away from their residence. Workers are forced to work longer hours without overtime pay. The company is forbidding union activities by disallowing union worksite committees to have discussions with workers even during their legitimate break time and threatening disciplinary action against union officials. There is blatant discrimination against union members, not allowing them an opportunity to work overtime to increase their earnings. There is constant verbal harassment and intimidation by Edgenta UEMS supervisors towards the union worksite committee. Workers are denied proper PPE equipment when they clean COVID-19 wards and facilities, putting them at great risk of infection. There is an inadequate supply of facemasks and gloves. The company has discontinued subsidized transport services for workers to travel to and from Hospitals to work, causing further hardship and extra cost to workers.
