Lawmaker José Pereira Coutinho could once again put forward a union law proposal, according to an enquiry he sent to the Legislative Assembly (AL) last week. “More than 10 years after the creation of MSAR, local workers remain systematically exploited by many employers,” he bemoaned.
The president of the Macau Civil Servant’s Association has already presented a similar proposal at the AL twice, the last one in April 2009. In both cases the draft was rejected, the same result of the first attempt, launched in 1992 by former lawmaker Jorge Fão.
“Will the Government support a law proposal presented by me to the Legislative Assembly to legislate the Basic Law article 27?” Coutinho asked in his enquiry. This article states Macau residents are entitled to “freely organise and participate in union associations and strikes”.
According to the lawmaker, the demonstration organised by Venetian cleaners earlier this months happened only “after years of submission to systematic abuse by the employer”. It’s only an example of “blatant violation of the ‘same work, same pay’ principle, non-payment of overtime” and other wrongdoings, he wrote.
Union law is an important issue in two International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions that have already come into effect in Macau, Coutinho recalled. The Government should legislate to protect the workers, he emphasised.