He said this after receiving a memorandum from the National Union of Workers in Hospital Support and Allied Services.

“I met the union president and we went through the demands of the memorandum.

“The ministry will work towards a comprehensive solution after further discussions take place,” he told reporters outside the ministry’s headquarters today.

Khairy acknowledged that the workers, mostly made up of hospital cleaners, were also frontliners in the fight against Covid-19.

The union demanded that contract hospital workers and ancillary workers be reinstated into the civil service, as was the case before 1997.

It also wanted better pay and working conditions, after having not received any wage increments or Covid-19 allowances during the pandemic.

It also sought the ministry’s intervention in companies discouraging union activities, after workers had been threatened and intimidated by their employers.

Union president Roziah Hashim said the discussions with Khairy lasted about 30 minutes.

“We have done our part and hope the ministry is committed to meeting our demands,” she said.

The motorcycle convoy of 25 workers began its journey on Saturday, travelling from Penang to Putrajaya.