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The scope of the Ordinance will be extended to all employees regardless of salary limit or type of employment.
Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) has tabled the Sabah Labour Ordinance Act (Amendment) Bill 2024 for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat.
As part of efforts to update the Labour Ordinance (Sabah Chapter 67), the amendments involve 16 main points across 70 clauses to harmonise labour laws, which include three Acts enforced in Peninsular Malaysia — namely:
- Employment Act 1955 [Act 265]
- Minimum Standards of Housing, Accommodation and Workers' Facilities Act 1990 [Act 446]
- Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966 [Act 350]
As cited in Bernama, Human Resources Minister YB. Steven Sim expressed: "KESUMA is grateful to the Sabah government for its cooperation in successfully tabling the bill, for the benefit of 2.06mn workers and 187,365 employers in Sabah."
Key amendments to note include:
- The scope of the ordinance will be extended to all employees regardless of salary limit or type of employment. Prior to this, it only applied to employees with a salary of RM2,500 and below.
- The duration of maternity leave will be increased from 60 days to 98 days.
- Paternity leave, which was not previously provided for in the Act, will be given to new fathers for a period of seven days.
- Working hours will be reduced from 48 hours a week to 45 hours a week.
- New provisions on flexible working arrangements.
- Addition of New Section of IVA for housing accommodation and employee facilities by adapting Act 446.
- The addition of a new Chapter on sexual harassment, Chapter 11B.
- Provisions on forced labour complaints
ALSO READ: FAQs on Malaysia's Employment Act
Lead image / Ministry of Human Resources
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