Kuala lumpur: Mediation, as a primary mechanism for resolving workplace disputes, helps save time and costs while preserving industrial harmony. Human Resource Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong stated that industrial relations officers (IRO) under the ministry successfully resolved 65 per cent of cases referred to the director-general of the Department of Industrial Relations annually via mediation, representing over 3,000 cases in 2024.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, only 35 per cent of disputes proceeded to the Industrial Court. Sim highlighted that if each case appearing before the court costs both employers and employees about RM20,000, the cost savings amount to more than RM60 million in 2024 alone. He made these remarks during his keynote address at the inaugural Industrial Mediation Symposium 2025 held recently.

Sim added that even before cases are referred to the Industrial Court, the Department of Industrial Relations under the ministry employs alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms, primarily through conciliation meetings, to settle disputes amicably. Currently, 122 IROs under the ministry serve as conciliators to help workers and employers resolve conflicts swiftly and peacefully.

Sim mentioned that these officers receive professional mediation training through collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at the International Training Centre in Turin, Italy, as well as other institutions such as the Kuala Lumpur Mediation Centre and the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF). Beginning in 2024, the Human Resource Ministry also partnered with the United States Department of Labour to further strengthen its officers' capacity in industrial mediation.

The one-day symposium on June 21 was organised by the Society of JP Community Mediators Penang (SJPCMP), in collaboration with the JP Mediation Bureau Penang and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM).