Common values should shape industrial relations

LETTER | The world celebrates Labour Day on May 1. As usual, there will be labour rallies around the world where some would take the form of protests against human rights abuses against workers especially immigrants. 

There will also be protests directed against the neo-liberal economic system that favours big corporations that dominate the economy where financial wealth, land, technology are controlled by business elites. 

This is at the expense of millions of people who continue to live in extreme poverty. In this system, taxes are reduced for the big corporations while ordinary men and women have to bear the high-cost living and lower social security protection.

When one analyses the global economic system and its players, what is lacking are common values. There is a lack of consensus on values among business elites, workforces and governments of what constitutes a just and fair economy. If one looks at Malaysia, there is a similar lack of consensus among business elites and unions on values and how to drive the nation forward. 

The business elites are more focussed on cost-cutting and profiteering while the workforce is more concerned about minimum wage, work-life balance and compensation benefits. This turns into polemics between profits on one hand and workers' rights on the other.

The current Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran has made consultation between employer and employees as a way forward in building human capital. There has been an emphasis on collaboration instead of the old mould of a master-servant relationship. 

Consultation on the impending amendment to labour laws has been initiated or supported but such efforts will not achieve the desired result if common values are not deliberated and debated till a national consensus is found on how to enhance human dignity through human capital development in the context of Industry 4.

The founder of World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, in his book Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, quotes a new social covenant on values by the WEF's Global Agenda Council on Values ( 2012-2014) that states that there is great cultural diversity when it comes to values. But there is also a broad consensus across cultures, religions and philosophies on some shared, human aspirations as follows:

1. The dignity of the human person whatever their race, gender background and belief.

2. The importance of common good that transcends individual interest.

3. The need for stewardship - a concern, not just for ourselves, but for posterity

The question that arises is do our industrial relations reflect the above? The answer is clearly "no" due to an absence of consensus on common values between employers and unions. 

It is hoped that in "new Malaysia", industrial relations will take a leap forward in clarifying values on how one could enhance human dignity and on what values.

It is hoped that this Workers' Day celebration will be a time for the government, employers and workers to reflect, discuss and collaborate on common values to enhance human dignity in the age of technological innovation instead of continuing the polemics between capital and labour that is shortsighted and does not benefit the nation in terms of common good.

The writer is executive secretary, Association for Community and Dialogue.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.