PUTRAJAYA — The Human Resources Ministry (Kesuma) has launched two investigation papers against a transport company following a bus driver strike at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) in Johor Bahru on Sunday.
In a statement today, the ministry said preliminary findings by the Labour Peninsular Malaysia (JTKSM) indicated that unresolved worker grievances triggered the strike.
These included unexplained salary deductions, the sudden withdrawal of special duty allowances, and unpaid overtime claims.
“Many drivers were reluctant to lodge formal complaints due to fear of retaliation. To avoid a repeat of the incident, JTKSM conducted early-morning checks at the premises today and found no further disruptions,” the statement read.
Kesuma also revealed that the company had previously breached the Employment (Overtime) Regulations 1980, with records showing a single employee clocking over 104 hours of overtime in one month. This was discovered during an enforcement operation on July 17.
The same operation saw checks on 32 companies, resulting in 34 investigation papers — 30 under the Employment Act 1955 and four under the Employees’ Minimum Standards of Housing, Accommodation and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446).
The ministry reminded all employers to comply with labour laws, particularly provisions on legal salary deductions. Offenders may be fined up to RM50,000 per offence.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has instructed JTKSM to enforce regulations strictly and without compromise.
Kesuma also urged workers facing issues such as unlawful wage deductions, unpaid overtime, or workplace mistreatment to lodge reports via the JTKSM hotline at 03-8886 5192 / 5937 or email [email protected]. — July 22, 2025