FOR the first time in my memory, both the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) are on the same page, criticising the manner in which the Industrial Relations Act 1967 (Act 177) and the Trade Unions Act 1959 were amended. And for the first time too, both sides are also opposing the substance of the said amendments.

All these years, there has been a clear divide between the employer (MEF) and employee (MTUC) sides. Ironic as the current situation may seem, I find it quite understandable, however. For the first time, MEF has had to deal with a Human Resources Minister who does not sing from the same song sheet as in the past; it must have been quite a culture shock. On the other hand, the labour movement must have felt that its expectations have not been met. These expectations, reasonable or otherwise, may have arisen from the fact that Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran had, for most of his professional career, taken the side of the underdog and indeed fought for workers’ rights within our judicial system. Therein is the source of the irony – the dichotomy and commonality of traditional rivals.