Lawmaker-cum-restaurateur Andrew Chan Chak Mo, who chairs the Legislative Assembly’s 2nd Standing Committee, said yesterday that the government-initiated trade union bill proposes that the government can ban trade unions under six stipulated circumstances, including “using unlawful or disorderly means to achieve its objectives” and “being disruptive to public order”.
Addressing a press briefing after yesterday’s closed-door meeting reviewing the government’s first-ever trade union bill with Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong and other government officials in attendance, Chan said the committee expected to complete its article-by-article review of the proposed law before August 15, so that the bill can be passed to a plenary session for its final debate and vote before the current legislative session ends.
The bill aims to regulate employees’ right to form and join trade unions, the composition and functioning of trade unions, and their rights and obligations.
The bill proposes that the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) will monitor the trade unions, and if any trade union is found to be involved in one of the six stipulated circumstances that are listed in the bill, the bureau should inform the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for a follow-up investigation, and the latter can then ban the union concerned, Chan said.
The six circumstances include engaging in any activities that endanger public order or public health, or adversely affect the continuous functioning of public or emergency services.
Article 27 of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Basic Law stipulates that Macau residents shall have the right and freedom to form and join trade unions, and to strike.
The bill also proposes transitional arrangements for current associations representing various types of employees, according to which they will be allowed to register as trade unions, or federations of trade unions, as long as they meet certain official requirements.
Chan said that the bill does not specify whether the current associations can represent their members in handling and negotiating their personal labour disputes during the transitional period, and he asked the government to clarify the matter in the bill.
Lawmaker-cum-restaurateur Andrew Chan Chak Mo (right), who chairs the legislature’s 2nd Standing Committee, talks to reporters after the committee’s closed-door meeting reviewing the government’s trade union bill yesterday, while the committee’s secretary, Lam Lon Wai, looks on. – Photo courtesy of TDM
