Four electronic chip firms in the northern region of Malaysia employing about 4,500 workers, have refused to talk about a new collective bargaining agreement, according to a union representative.

A collective bargaining agreement inked in 2019 ended in June, according to David Arulappen, general secretary of the Electronics Industry Employees’ Union for the northern region.

In Panasonic Automotive Systems Malaysia, one of the factories involved in the issue, about 500 workers protested on Thursday, urging the management to take the discussions for a collective bargaining agreement seriously.

About 500 workers gathered outside an electronics factory in Perai on Thursday to press for a new collective agreement. Photo by EIEU.

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