Human Resources Minister M Saravanan says this is in line with the government's purpose of giving the holidays on Nov 18 and 19.

Human Resources Minister M Saravanan says employers can be fined up to RM5,000 or sentenced to jail for up to one year if they refuse to allow their employees to exercise their right to vote.

The Malaysian Employers Federation says the people are the country's 'core assets'.

The Malaysian Employers Federation says businesses are still struggling to recover from the impact of Covid-19, and need more time to implement all of the changes scheduled to take effect this year.

The most common excuse is that they are old contractors whose tenders were issued before the minimum wage was gazetted.

Otherwise, there are concerns of discrimination against women workers as the amendments to the Employment Act come into effect.

Minister M Saravanan says his ministry is empowered to order the closure of companies that breach SOPs.