Malaysian workers hold rallies

Malaysian workers hold rallies

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian workers urged the government during rallies Saturday to solve serious labor woes as Premier Mahathir Mohamad called on workers to help in the economic recovery.

"For decades plantation workers have been fighting for monthly wages and better housing, but the government has ignored their plight," Mohamad Nasir Hashim, president of the Socialist Party of Malaysia told AFP.

Nasir said about 300 workers, mostly from the plantation and factory workers living in urban squatters, have gathered in a village just outside of Kuala Lumpur to demand genuine change.

The illegal gathering came on International Labor Day, a day of reflection on the struggle of workers in the past who fought for better living and working conditions, he said.

Nasir said Malaysia must have the political will to force plantation owners to provide monthly wages and guarantee housing if the workers are displaced when the plantations are converted into housing projects.

"But it is clear, the government lacks the political will," he said.