Trade unions must do more to attract members, says HR minister

KUALA LUMPUR: Human resources minister R Ramanan has called on trade unions to be more proactive in expanding their membership base, as only about 6% of Malaysia’s workforce is currently unionised.

He said the still-low participation rate suggests that many workers do not fully understand the role and benefits of joining trade unions.

“I do not want workers to seek out trade unions only when they face problems. The role of trade unions is much bigger than that …. not just to solve problems, but to prevent them from happening,” he said in his speech at the 2026 Labour Union Affairs Programme (PHEKS) Grant presentation ceremony for Peninsular Malaysia today.

Speaking to reporters later, Ramanan said greater exposure to international labour platforms could also help boost participation, noting that Malaysian representation at the recent International Labour Conference remained limited.

“If they have opportunities to attend international conferences, perhaps it can help increase participation and broaden their involvement in trade unions,” he said.

At the event, Ramanan announced that RM6.1 million has been allocated under PHEKS 2026 to strengthen the trade union movement nationwide.

Of this, he said RM3.5 million would be used for training, education, research, digitalisation and organisational development programmes, while RM2.6 million would support outreach and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

He said future allocations would be reviewed based on the needs of trade unions and whether recipients demonstrated proper management and effective use of funds.

“If they submit their reports and the funds are fully utilised properly, we will increase it because we see there is a need for such funding,” he said.

PHEKS is a government initiative managed by the trade union affairs department, providing one-off financial grants to registered trade unions.

Ramanan also dismissed speculation that PHEKS was intended to replace the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC), saying the government has no such intention.

“MTUC is taking steps to address its internal issues and should be given the space to improve,” he said.

On May 7, MTUC was ordered to be provisionally dissolved by the Registrar of Societies after it allegedly failed to submit key documents, including audited financial statements and details of foreign funding sources.