ABSTRACT
Since attaining independence in 1957, Malaysia’s relentless drive towards economic prosperity has been remarkable by any standard. A productive and inexpensive labour force is, among other things, an important contributing factor. This chapter presents an account of the regulatory framework of organized labour and the exercise of discretionary power by authorities to ensure that capital is well supported, by the availability of reliable and generally inexpensive labour for developmental goals. It focuses on the legal regulation of trade unions and their ability to take industrial action in protection of their interest, highlighting, where relevant, the unusually wide discretionary power of the executive and public servants with respect to these matters. Particular attention is given to the two principal instruments of legal regulation, namely the Trade Unions Act 1959 and the Industrial Relations Act 1967.
