The memorandum, received by Anwar’s political secretary, Chan Ming Kai, raised concerns over a provision allowing the existence of multiple unions in any establishment, trade, occupation or industry.

The Dewan Rakyat passed the amendment last month, and the bill now has to go through the Dewan Negara.

About 500 members of Camu gathered outside the Prime Minister’s Office today to protest the amendment.

Camu president Rudy Rusly said the amendment will have negative consequences, notably weakening the voice of the workers.

“Numerous unions under the same umbrella will only erode solidarity among workers and further divide them.

“There’s also the possibility of the forming of a puppet union or proxy on behalf of the employer or political party. This weakens the bargaining power for the collective agreement,” he said.

Rudy said Camu called on the senators to reject the amendment and pass it back to the Dewan Rakyat so a thorough review of the bill can be carried out.

Another member of the union, Ismail Nasarudin, likened the multiplicity of unions to having several MPs under a constituency.

“How will a constituency function if there are, say, seven MPs to look after it? It will be haywire. The same issue will occur if there’s more than one union in an establishment,” he said.