The Industrial Law Committee (“ILC”), previously known as Industrial Court Practice Committee, changed its name this term to reflect the Committee’s scope of work, which extends to labour laws in general and is not merely confined to the practice and procedures of the Industrial Courts. The Committee has met four times.
The activities for the Committee include:
(1) Employment Law Conference The Committee ended the 2009/2010 term with the grandeur of a successful two-day Employment Law Conference on 27 and 28 Jan 2010, themed “Employment Law in the 21st Century – Challenges & New Horizons”. The Conference saw the participation of about 200 legal practitioners, human resource practitioners, corporate counsel, employers, students, and members of trade unions and academia. Foreign speakers from Australia, New Zealand and India presented useful overviews of their countries’ labour laws. The Conference was officiated by YB Datuk Dr S Subramaniam, Ministry of Human Resources.
(2) Consultative Committee on Industrial Law The Committee’s representatives, Anand Ponnudurai and Jayasingam Poopalasingam, have been attending the Consultative Committee’s meetings, held every three months and chaired by the President of the Industrial Court. Also present at the meetings are most of the Industrial Court Chairmen and representatives from the Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysian Trade Union Congress and Malaysian Employers’ Federation.
(3) Labour Law Review In April 2010, the Government announced substantial proposed amendments to the Employment Act 1955, Industrial Relations Act 1969 and the Trade Union Act 1959. The Committee opposes many of the proposed amendments, which it views as draconian and will affect access to justice.
Ragunath Kesavan, President of the Malaysian Bar, issued a press release on 23 June 2010 entitled “Malaysian Bar opposes proposed amendments to labour laws”, stating that “the proposed reforms are wholly pro-employer and are at the expense of public interest and social responsibility”. The Malaysian Bar also voiced its opposition to the proposal that human resource consultants be permitted to represent parties in the Industrial Court, as such consultants will not possess the necessary qualifications to practise in a court of law.
Subsequently, the Committee was invited by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Human Resources (“Ministry”) for a meeting to discuss the amendments in July 2010.
Following the meeting, the Ministry set up a consultative committee consisting of Bar Council representatives and other relevant stakeholders, with the objective of obtaining views and reaching consensus on the proposed amendments. Bar representatives, Anand Ponnudurai and Jayasingam Poopalasingam, attended two meetings in August and October 2010 and put forth the Bar’s views on the proposed amendments.
The Committee organised a public forum on “Labour Law Amendments” – What does it mean to you?” on 21 Aug 2010. The main objective of the public forum, attended by about 250 persons comprising human resource consultants, and members of trade unions, the legal fraternity and the public, was to raise public awareness and collate views on the proposed amendments.
Bar Council sent its feedback on the proposed amendments to the Ministry in October 2010.
Anand Ponnudurai Chairperson Industrial Law Committee
2012 Bar Council Subscription Click the link above to download Circular 072/2012 pertaining to the 2012 Bar Council subscription, including the payment guide and a set of Frequently-Asked-Questions.
2012 Hotel Corporate Rates Attending seminars? Going for a holiday? Click on the link above to check out the list of hotel corporate rates for Members of the Bar, which is updated regularly.
Bar Council Bookshop Read MORE … but pay LE$$! Members enjoy a 20% discount on LexisNexis publications at the Bar Council Bookshop. Click on the link above for the list of available titles.
International Malaysia Law Conference (26 to 28 Sept 2012) Hurry up! The countdown continues and the current promotion rate ends 30 June 2012. Don't miss what is going to be the best conference in the region! On top of that, if you sign up with 5 or more people from the same organisation, we will give you a 10% group discount. Click on the link above to register.
Talk on Summary Judgement (25 May 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, this talk will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). The talk will be conducted by Ramesh Supramanian. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on Tax Issues in Financial Transactions (25 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar, featuring S Saravana Kumar, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Dialogue with Criminal Law Practitioners (26 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council, this dialogue will take place at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 26 May 2012 (Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Conference on Competition Law (31 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council with the support of LexisNexis, this conference will take place at 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, on 31 May 2012 (Thursday). For more details or to register, please contact Vilashini Vijayan (03-2050 2095; vila@malaysianbar.org.my). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on What Clients Want (7 June 2012) Organised by the KL Bar Practitioners' Affairs Committee, the talk, presented by Ong Eu Jin, will take place at 5:00 pm, at the KL Bar Auditorium, on 7 June 2012 (Thursday). Click on the link above for more details.
4th LAWASIA Family Law Conference, Penang (13 and 14 July 2012) Supported by Penang Bar Committee and the Malaysian Bar, this conference, themed “The New Global Family: Emerging Trends and Challenges to Family Practice”, will take place at Traders Hotel, Penang, on 13 and 14 July 2012 (Friday and Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Committees 
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Circular No 109/2012: Be a Part of the Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee
