PENGLIBATAN PEKERJA DALAM KESATUAN SEKERJA: SATU ANALISIS AWAL

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT IN TRADE UNIONS: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

Abstract

Kemasukan buruh asing telah bermula sekitar tahun 1786 dan 1824 dibawah pemerintahan British yang memerlukan tenaga kerja bagi mengusahakan ekonomi di Tanah Melayu pada masa itu. Seterusnya pada tahun 1920-an pergerakan buruh semakin berkembang dengan pembentukan kesatuan sekerja yang membantu ahli mereka daripada ditindas oleh golongan pemodal. Pada masa itu, aktiviti ekonomi perladangan dan perlombongan berkembang pesat sehingga pihak pemodal perlu mengawal lebihan buruh kerana telah mula muncul konflik antara pemodal dan juga tenaga buruh. Sehingga pada awal 1930-an dan perang dunia kedua tercetus, bermula kebangkitan dan kegelisahan buruh di Tanah Melayu. Tambahan lagi, penentangan secara formal berlaku di Malaysia pada tahun 1894 melalui kesatuan sekerja dalam kalangan pekerja kapal Melayu di Semenanjung Malaysia. Oleh itu, artikel ini akan mengupas lebih lanjut mengenai penglibatan pekerja di dalam kesatuan sekerja dengan menggunakan kaedah analisis kandungan. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa, perkembangan penubuhan kesatuan sekerja yang paling aktif dicatatkan berlaku pada tahun 1940-an apabila hampir 50 peratus tenaga buruh menjadi ahli kesatuan sekerja. Pada tahun 1946 juga berlaku mogok yang melibatkan hampir 200, 000 pekerja dan menyebabkan aktiviti ekonomi lumpuh. Rentetan daripada kejadian ini, dapat dilihat pada masa kini pemerintah mengawal aktiviti-aktiviti kesatuan sekerja menerusi penguatkuasaan undang-undang pekerjaan termasuk dengan pengenalan dasar perburuhan.

The entry of foreign labour began around 1786 and 1824 under British rule, when labour was needed to develop the economy of Malaya at that time. Subsequently, in the 1920s, the labour movement continued to grow with the formation of trade unions, which helped protect their members from oppression by capital owners. During that period, plantation and mining economic activities expanded rapidly, prompting capital owners to control the surplus labour force as conflicts began to emerge between capital owners and workers. By the early 1930s, and with the outbreak of the Second World War, labour unrest and mobilisation began to rise in Malaya. In addition, formal resistance in Malaysia began in 1894 through a trade union among Malay ship workers in Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, this article further examines workers’ involvement in trade unions using the content analysis method. The findings show that the most active development in the establishment of trade unions was recorded in the 1940s, when nearly 50 per cent of the labour force became members of trade unions. In 1946, a strike involving nearly 200,000 workers also took place, causing economic activities to come to a standstill. As a result of these events, it can be seen that, at present, the government controls trade union activities through the enforcement of employment laws, including the introduction of labour policies.