BBHI 4103 Industrial Relations – Trade and Dispute Resolution

Part 1: Purpose

To enhance learners’ ability to discuss the roles played by employees, the trade union and the government in shaping the industrial relations system in Malaysia and to evaluate how trade disputes are prevented and resolved at the workplace.

Requirement

Malaysia’s industrial relations landscape has shifted considerably. Since 15 September 2024, more than one trade union may be formed within a single workplace and the union with majority support holds sole bargaining rights. The Gig Workers Act 2025 came into force on 31 March 2026, extending legal protection, social security coverage and a dedicated dispute resolution channel to more than 1.6 million gig workers (Gig Workers Act 2025 [Act 872]; Ministry of Human Resources, 2026). These developments place fresh demands on employees, trade unions and the government in maintaining industrial harmony.

Select an organisation you are familiar with and prepare a report that addresses ALL of the following:

1. Introduce the selected organisation: its name, products and services, type of industry, number of employees and the form of employee representation currently in place. (6 marks)
2. Based on that form of employee representation, discuss FOUR (4) roles played by the relevant stakeholders (employees, the trade union or employee representative body and the government) in shaping the IR system within the organisation, including the effects of the legal developments above, with relevant examples. (12 marks)
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of FOUR (4) employee involvement and participation practices currently in place in the organisation, showing how well they support the roles discussed in (b). (12 marks)
4. Drawing on the weaknesses identified in (b) and (c), recommend FOUR (4) measures the organisation can take to prevent and resolve trade disputes more effectively. (16 marks)
5. Provide a conclusion that summarises the key findings, including ONE (1) weakness that poses the greatest risk of a trade dispute and the justification for its selection. (4 marks)

Part II: Online Class Participation (10 Marks)

Discuss the following topics in the forum, supporting your arguments with credible online legal resources, official guidelines or scholarly articles, and relating them to real workplace situations where possible:

1. The Gig Workers Act 2025 gives more than 1.6 million gig workers legal protection and their own dispute resolution channel but places them in a separate category from employees under the Employment Act 1955. Does this properly recognise the flexibility gig workers value, or does it create a second class of worker with weaker protection? Which view is more convincing?
2. Trade union membership in Malaysia has stayed low for many years. Are trade unions still the most effective way for employees to voice their interests, or have direct involvement and participation channels such as joint consultative committees, engagement surveys and open-door policies become more effective?

Expert Answers on Above Questions on Trade Relations in Malaysia

Organisation selected for analysis

The organisation selected is AirAsia group Berhad which operates in the Malaysian aviation industry, and provides air traveling services to passengers, cargo and related Aviation Services. The airline employs a large number of workforce in order to manage its operations effectively, and the employee representation is examined through trade unions and employee representative bodies.

Four Stakeholder roles

The four different stakeholder roles are:
Employees – the role include joining or electing representatives, raising workplace issues and participating in collective bargaining.
Trade unions – responsible for negotiating employment terms, representing workers and protecting collective interest.
Government – known for regulating industrial relations through legislation, labour authorities and dispute resolution mechanisms.
Employer and representatives – responsible for collective negotiation and implementing agreements in order to maintain industrial harmony.

Four employee involvement practices

These include collective bargaining which provides employees with a formal mechanism to negotiate pay and working conditions. Another important involvement in grievance procedure which allows individual workplace disputes to be addressed before any kind of escalation. The third involvement practice is employee surveys which are carried out to identify satisfaction or dissatisfaction within employees before it becomes a collective conflict. The final involvement of employees is joint consultation which allows the management and employee representatives to discuss operational and employment issues collaboratively.

Four measures to prevent/ resolve dispute

The four important measures that can be considered are to establish regular management- union consultation meetings before undertaking any major employment decisions. The second initiative is to introduce a grievance and mediation process with respect to unresolved complaints, and thirdly it is to provide managers and employee representatives for dealing with issues in relation to Industrial Relations and dispute resolution training. Finally it is to maintain transparent Communication in areas including pay, scheduling, restructuring and disciplinary decisions in order to avoid any kind of misunderstandings.

Conclusion

The greatest risk is mainly in relation to poor employee-management communication as any kind of unresult consense can result in collective grievances and finally a major trade dispute. It is therefore important to indulge into regular communication and early grievance resolution process before any kind of risk from formal industrial action occurs.

Online discussion

Gig workers act 2025 – with respect to this particular act, it is aimed at improving the recognition and protection but it is still created as a separate worker category. The gig workers gain statutory protection and dedicated dispute mechanisms but they remain outside the conventional employee framework which means that they are not likely to benefit from the full employment protection that are available to general employees.

Trade unions versus direct participation

The trade union is an important way to indulge into collective bargaining and disputes, and it is quite effective especially in cases when employees need collective legal representation. However, approaches like joint consultative committees, engagement surveys, and open door policies are better ways for routine workplace issues and early conflict prevention.

Want Detailed Answers with References?

The analysis of employee representation, trade unions and government roles in Malaysia’s industrial relations including gig workers and trade dispute resolutions above revealed important findings in managing workplace issues. With professional HRM experts, you can get detailed analysis on tasks involving evaluation of trade unions and dispute resolution. Simply visit our assignment help page in Malaysia to get a professional expert for your assignment. Also explore the expert written assignment from Open University Malaysia across different disciplines.