Zouhair Rosli said the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 and 12th Malaysia Plan aimed to increase workers’ share from RM32 to RM40 per RM100 by 2025.

“Unfortunately, in Malaysia, the government wants to further weaken the trade unions through the recent amendment,” Zouhair, the socioeconomic director of the Social Protection Contributors Advisory Association Malaysia, told FMT.

“Can suppressing and dividing the trade unions help the government achieve a higher wage share for the workers?”

Zouhair also said unions that remained united would have more power to negotiate for higher wages.

On Oct 10, the Dewan Rakyat passed an amendment to the Trade Unions Act 1959, which would allow the formation of multiple trade unions in any establishment, trade, occupation or industry.

However, the Coalition against Multiplicity of Unions has consistently expressed its opposition to the amendment, saying the multiplicity of unions “defeats the very concept of the unity of workers”.

Likewise, union leaders have reiterated concerns about the potential ineffectiveness of numerous unions in safeguarding workers’ interests.

National Union of Petroleum and Chemical Industry Workers secretary-general Abdul Halim Mansor said unions based on a deep understanding of the trade or industry tended to be more successful in protecting their members.

“They would have knowledge about the working conditions, safety protocols, business operations and raw material handling,” he said.

J Solomon, secretary-general of the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE), said lessons should have been learnt from the “bitter” episode in 2010 when the in-house union of a local bank was registered despite the presence of a pre-established national union.

This registration led to internal conflict, physical assaults and legal battles, he said.

“Notably, this became prolonged, and the legal battle cost NUBE nearly RM5 million – funds which were expended to seek justice and protect our sovereignty,” he said.