UNI Malaysian Liaison Council (UNI-MLC) will be known as the UNI Malaysia Labour Centre and is mandated to initiate activities to confront the critical challenges facing the Malaysian trade union movement and promote workers rights and interests. This is the outcome of the deliberations at the 1st UNI MLC Triennial Delegates Conference held on March 9 2013 in Kuala Lumpur.

One hundred fifty delegates and fifty observers and guests were gathered at the Conference. Bro. Christopher Ng, the UNI Apro Regional Secretary was the guest of honour. Christopher stressed that trade unions must be more relevant to all workers and must be actively involved and focused on labour issues. He commended UNI MLC for their organizing campaigns and their initiative to protect migrant workers and support the campaign for minimum wages and extension of retirement age. He welcomed the MLC initiative to change its name to Malaysia Labour Center as it is reflective of MLC roles and their determination and commitment to Malaysian workers including the large majority employed in sectors represented by UNI.

Bro. Apolinar Z. Tolentino, Jr, Regional Representative BWI and Honorable Tan Sri Dato’ Zainal Rampak, the Former President of MTUC and General Secretary of Transport Workers Union (TWU) were among the guests who attended the opening of the conference.

The conference adopted a comprehensive report presented by the MLC President Brother Shafie. In his introduction, he spoke extensively of the tremendous challenges facing Malaysian workers and his concern about the inability the trade unions to effectively confront the challenges. He highlighted the various MLC initiatives and pro active measures to protect and promote workers including the migrant workers.

The Conference also adopted the financial reports and resolutions concerning minimum wages, extension of retirement age and about levies on migrant workers. The Conferences elected an Executive Committee headed by the President Brother Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal for the period till the end of the next Triennial Delegates Conference.