MELAKA: The Human Resources Ministry (Kesuma), via Department Of Trade Union Affairs (JHEKS) has greenlit 369 financial aid requests totalling RM3.2 million for registered trade unions nationwide this year.
Trades Union director-general Mohd Asri Abdul Wahab said this one-time financial support, under the Trade Union Affairs Programme (PHEKS), caters to six clusters of activities.
He said these clusters encompass training and educational programmes, research on trade union movements, scholarly writing on labour-related issues, procurement of information and communication technology equipment, development of e-learning modules in video simulation format and initial group insurance purchases for eligible members.
"This year, we received a significantly high number of applications for the PHEKS programme, totaling 1,206 applications from various trade unions nationwide involving an allocation exceeding RM65 million.
"However, only 369 applications involving an allocation of RM3.2 million were approved through rigorous screening, taking into account several important criteria," he told newsmen after the PHEKS Aid 2024 presentation event for the Southern Zone here today.
Mohd Asri said among the criteria considered for the approval of financial assistance applications were small and medium-sized trade unions that had not previously received such aid, active status of trade unions and consistent submission of reports including financial statements.
He said this allocation was provided to support and strengthen the trade union movement and create an educational platform to enhance leadership skills among union members through continuous learning.
"This is to establish a mature and progressive trade union movement in Malaysia on par with international trade unions by implementing the Malaysia MADANI concept," he said.
Earlier during the event, he announced that a total of 84 applications involving an allocation of RM670,000 were approved for the Southern Zone, covering three states: Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Johor.
Out of this total, 26 applications involving an allocation of RM141,700 were for trade unions in Melaka and Negeri Sembilan (22 applications involving RM158,300) and Johor (36 applications involving RM370,000). – BERNAMA