They demanded that the government expedite the process of implementing a special insurance scheme for retrenched workers.
For almost two hours they stood under the hot sun, chanting “hidup pekerja” (long live workers).
They also repeatedly shouted for the government to “implement the retrenchment fund immediately”.
Several opposition MPs, including PKR’s Tian Chua and Sim Tze Tzin, as well as Amanah’s Mujahid Yusof Rawa, among others, came to meet the protesters and express their support.
Although Human Resources Minister Richard Riot Jaem had last week confirmed that the Cabinet had approved a bill to create the scheme, the workers, led by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), were unconvinced.
The group of protesters were later promised a meeting with Riot this afternoon.
Twenty of them will attend the meeting where they will also hand Riot 20,000 signatures they collected nationwide, from employees who support the need to have the insurance scheme implemented.
PSM workers’ bureau chief Sivaranjani Manickam told reporters during the protest that the government had promised to have a special insurance scheme for retrenched workers since 2009 but it had yet to deliver.
“They have promised that the scheme will be implemented as soon as possible, twice now. Once by Riot in 2015, and another time by his deputy ( Ismail Abd Muttalib ) in Nov 2016,” she told reporters when met during the protest.
“But they haven’t tabled the bill, and it’s not even in this sitting’s standing order. This is a good scheme but it has to be implemented immediately.”
This, according to Sivaranjani, was because there are a high number of retrenched employees who are suffering and struggling to make ends meet.
“According to government statistics, 38,000 people lost their jobs in 2015 due to their respective companies shutting down or downsizing, among other reasons.
“The number increased to over 40,000 in 2016. So what protection mechanism is there for these employees? That’s why we’re asking for this scheme.
“It’s not just about compensation. It’s about training and equipping them with skills that can help them secure a new job,” she said.
She also questioned Riot’s statement that the prime minster would be the one to officially announce if the government would introduce the new bill in the Dewan Rakyat by this year.
“This seems like an election goody,” she said.
Meanwhile Tian Chua told reporters: “The issue of retrenchment is getting more and more serious. I suggest before the government even talks about what to do, have a proper monitoring system first.”
He said last year there were massive retrenchments in the banking sector and Malaysia Airlines, and this year thousands of other workers are under threat of retrenchment.
“So, the government, especially the human resources ministry, must ensure they know what’s going on. They must monitor how long it takes to get a new job, and what kind of job these employees need.”