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29 June, 2000Several subsidiaries of MNCs in Malaysia back down on forcing employees to work while standing.
MALAYSIA: Upon hearing of the difficulties workers are facing at P.T. Sony Electronics, Indonesia, the IMF-affiliated Electrical Industry Workers' Union reported there had been similar problems at Sony Audio Penang and Sanyo Penang, in Malaysia.
Both companies unilaterally changed the conventional conveyor system by raising the conveyor belts and then informed the workforce, mostly female, that they had to work standing up. The companies said the new system was only a trial, but after three months workers were told that in order to be more productive and to eliminate idle time the system was being implemented permanently. There was, however, no substantiation of increased production through the new system.
The EIWU stated that the vast majority of the women workers who were over 30 years of age, overweight and pregnant, began having problems with their health, with some fainting after standing for many hours. The union raised objections and reported the matter to the Department of Occupational Health and Safety. Only after workers staged two pickets, first for 12 days and then 19 days, and the Director of Industrial Relations in Penang intervened, was the issue settled and the workers got back their chairs.
Another such company, which uses working tables on rollers, agreed - following discussions with the union - to provide chairs which were raised and had foot rests.
Both companies unilaterally changed the conventional conveyor system by raising the conveyor belts and then informed the workforce, mostly female, that they had to work standing up. The companies said the new system was only a trial, but after three months workers were told that in order to be more productive and to eliminate idle time the system was being implemented permanently. There was, however, no substantiation of increased production through the new system.
The EIWU stated that the vast majority of the women workers who were over 30 years of age, overweight and pregnant, began having problems with their health, with some fainting after standing for many hours. The union raised objections and reported the matter to the Department of Occupational Health and Safety. Only after workers staged two pickets, first for 12 days and then 19 days, and the Director of Industrial Relations in Penang intervened, was the issue settled and the workers got back their chairs.
Another such company, which uses working tables on rollers, agreed - following discussions with the union - to provide chairs which were raised and had foot rests.