98-day maternity leave among changes to Sabah’s labour laws

Chief minister Hajiji Noor (second from left) presenting the ‘Tokoh Pekerja’ award in conjunction with Workers’ Day to Jennifer Asing, principal of SM St Michael, Penampang, at a function in Kota Kinabalu today. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The proposed amendments to the Sabah Labour Ordinance (SLO) involve 12 major changes to the 62 clauses in the ordinance which has been enforced since 1950.

Chief minister Hajiji Noor said the SLO was last amended in 2005, Bernama reported.

The latest proposed amendments to the ordinance involve measures to extend the SLO to all workers, regardless of salary cap or type of employment.

The period of maternity leave is to be increased from 60 to 98 days.

Apart from that, Hajiji said among the proposed amendments is for husbands to be given paternity leave for seven days for all legitimate wives but only for the first five children.

Working hours are to be reduced from 48 to 45 hours a week.

“Nineteen years (since 2005) is a long time. The law needs to be reviewed to be improved, especially laws involving workers’ welfare and employers’ needs to conduct business,” he said in Kota Kinabalu today.

“There is no doubt that more up-to-date laws can attract more foreign companies to invest more confidently in Sabah.

“The amendments are timely because the state government is in dire need of labour legislation that is appropriate for the current situation,” Hajiji said this when officiating at the state-level Workers’ Day tripartite celebration 2024 at the Sabah International Convention Centre here.

On May 1, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the amendments to the Sabah Labour Ordinance and Sarawak Labour Ordinance bills will be tabled at the next Parliament sitting.

The amendments are to ensure they are in line with the Labour Act 1955.

Meanwhile, Hajiji said the state government also supported the establishment of the Sabah-level Labour Advisory Council, comprising trade unions and major employers’ associations representing all workers and employers in the state.

“The government side consists of 16 state and federal government departments and agencies that are responsible for state labour issues.”