The rate of unionisation among workers in Malaysia is at an abysmal 6%. This is one of the key reasons why wages in Malaysia are incredibly low. 

But why is this the case? What’s preventing workers in Malaysia from organising themselves to have greater bargaining power? 

Recently, the Labour Solidarity and Learning Resources Association (LLRC) published a paper titled The Challenges of Workers’ Organising in Malaysia. It’s a detailed report on the kinds of labour rights violations and union-busting tactics by big businesses and employers in Malaysia. 

We unpack this paper with one of the authors, Ng Yap Hwa who is the Assistant General Secretary of the Labour Solidarity and Learning Resources Association (LLRC).