PUTRAJAYA: The Industrial Court of Malaysia has resolved 86.94% of dismissal cases over five years from 2019 to 2023, says the country’s chief statistician.
Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin who heads the Statistics Department said this was among the findings of a study on case management at the court.
The study, conducted from Feb 8 to Dec 31, 2024, covered data on completed cases, pending cases, settlements through mediation, collective agreements, and awards issued.
He said the data of 53,024 cases were received from the court for the study period.
"The second highest category of cases is non-compliance with awards and collective agreements, which accounts for 9.74% while the percentage for other categories ranges from 0.04% to 1.62%,” he said after launching the Case Management Study Report at the Industrial Court here on Friday (Jan 17).
Mohd Uzir said the top five states with the highest case settlement percentages during the period were Selangor with 47.61%, Kuala Lumpur (17.82%), Johor (6.66%), Penang (5.81%) and Perak (4.63%).
The study also highlighted that male complainants accounted for the largest group in dismissal cases at 72.99% compared to 27.01% for female complainants.
It was found that 77.78% of cases involved trade unions, while 22.22% involved employers.
The manufacturing sector saw the most cases resolved in collective agreement-related cases, at 59.34%, followed by logistics (8.30%) and financial services (6.76%).
The study further revealed that 96.71% of collective agreement applications at the court were renewals, while 3.29% were new agreements.
The study also examined the use of mediation to resolve disputes, with 8,020 mediation sessions held over the five years. These sessions were primarily conducted by the Chairman of the Court (80.96%) and the Assistant Registrar (19.04%).
Kuala Lumpur recorded the highest percentage of mediation sessions at 66.49%, followed by Penang (25.43%) and Perak (3.31%).
Mohd Uzir highlighted that the study identified eight strategic focus areas, with 21 initiatives and 21 action plans aimed at improving case management at the court.
These include strengthening case management, improving the court’s management efficiency, reviewing and improving the labour education module and strengthening existing data management for better record-keeping.
In addition, 19 focus group discussions and interviews were conducted, involving 69 representatives from ministries, departments, agencies, academics, employers' associations, and trade unions.
The study is policy-oriented, designed to assist policymakers and stakeholders in improving policies, legislation, and the implementation of existing programmes. It offers practical recommendations that can help enhance the management and outcomes of industrial relations. - Bernama
