Mealtimes are part of 45-hour work week, says MTUC

IT has been brought to the attention of MTUC (Malaysian Trades Union Congress) Penang Division that the Labour Department of the Human Resources Ministry has been informing employers that they can exclude meal breaks from the 45-hour work week pursuant to the amended Section 60A of the Employment Act, 1955, which comes into force on Sept 1, 2022.

In doing this, the Labour Department is essentially maintaining the current 48 hours of working per week whereas the intention of Parliament, as we were given to believe, is to reduce the absolute weekly working time to 45 hours.