Legislative Assembly | Trade union law defeated again

The Legislative Assembly (AL) has once again rejected a trade union bill, with just nine lawmakers in favor and 16 opposed.
This is the 11th time a trade union law proposal has been considered by the AL. Lawmakers including Ella Lei and Au Kam San supported the bill whereas Pang Chuan and Cheung Lup Kwan, among many others, opposed it.
Cheung Lup Kwan, one of the lawmakers who rarely speaks during AL plenary meetings, voiced his opposition to the proposal yesterday.
In Cheung’s opinion, a trade union should include a large number of workers, not just a small group. “If a group of 15 people means a trade union, I can make hundreds of trade unions,” said Cheung, adding that Macau has a “very good” system of resolution between employers and employees, claiming that in 90% of employment disputes the employers lose.”
“In the old times, the trade union law was needed because capitalists exploited [workers],” Cheung argued, adding that that was no longer the case.
The supporters of the bill argued that the trade union law is a requirement of the Basic Law and international conventions also suggest Macau should have trade unions.
Cheung disagreed by saying that “the Basic Law lists many things, many of which have not been realized. Are we finishing the trade union law first?”
Cheung, who is an indirectly-elected lawmaker, related that, at this time, when Macau is still undergoing the Covid-19 prevention battle, “many businesses remain closed.” He questioned whether employers could also set up a representative committee to ask the government for money whenever there is a business shutdown. “I don’t feel it’s very fair [to employers at this time],” said Cheung.
Au Kam San responded to Cheung arguing that the AL had barred the bill in the past due to the claim that “it is not the right time” to advance with such legislation. Au also defended workers by noting that they are in a weaker position when signing contracts with their employers, as employees have no way to complain when signing a contract which broadly favors the employer.
The latest proposal, brought to the AL by legislators Lam Lon Wai and Lei Chan U, was the 11th time the Special Administrative Region’s parliament heard the matter.
As the Times has previously reported, no other proposal generates as much fervent interest from Macau’s rubber-
stamp parliament than the trade union bill. It typically pits the workers representatives and the pro-democratic wing against the business interests of the AL.
Previously, the government has expressed its intent to present its own trade union bill in the future. Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong reaffirmed last week that it remains on the government’s agenda.