Hotel association urged to show proof of SOP
KUALA LUMPUR: The argument over the “no-tudung” policy purportedly in place at several hotels in the country continued yesterday, with unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) speaking out against the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH).
The Union Network International-Malaysia Labour Centre (UNI-MLC) challenged MAH to prove that there was a standard operating procedure (SOP) barring Muslim women employees from wearing the tudung in frontline positions.
Its president, Datuk Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal, said UNIMLC discussed the rights of workers in wearing the tudung at work with the Human Resources Ministry since last year, but MAH did not cooperate or attend the meetings.
“We had conducted a meeting on Dec 15 with government agencies to settle the issue of discrimination against Muslim workers by five-star hotels in the country.
“MAH defended its association by saying that there is an SOP that underlines every woman worker is banned from wearing tudung if they work in the hotel industry.
“I deny the idea that workers at these hotel received offer letters stating that they would not be able to wear the tudung at the workplace at the start of employment.
“From our investigations, we identified 28 hotels, mostly with a five-star rating, that have been practising the ‘notudung policy’.”
Shafie said the banning of the tudung disrespected Malaysia as a Muslim-majority country, adding that MAH should publicly release the SOP if it existed.
“We want proof from MAH that the SOP exists.
“I urge the Human Resources Ministry to hold a meeting in two weeks’ time, in which MAH should attend.
“It (MAH) can present the SOP’s contents to everyone at the meeting.
“If MAH refuses to do so, we will lodge a report and hold a picket at every hotel that is violating the rights of the people,” he said at a joint press conference with NGOs.
Malaysian Muslim Consumers’ Association lead activist Datuk Nadzim Johan said all parties should act in solidarity and put pressure on hotels that denied the rights of their Muslim workers.
“As Malaysians, we have to deal with this discrimination as it is an issue that violates human rights.
“We call on the Malaysian Islamic Development Department and state religious departments to retract the halal certificates of such hotels to pressure them into stopping the discrimination against Muslim women.”
Present at the press conference were Malaysian Trades Union Congress financial secretary Mohd Effendy Abdul Ghani, International Women’s Alliance for Family Institution and Quality Education president Dr Rafidah Hanim Mokhtar and Serantau Muslim Welfare Organisation executive committee member for women’s affairs Nurul Suhadah Shuib.
The banning of the headscarf became a dispute between various parties when the ‘no-tudung’ uniform policy issue came to light following a report made by the Malaysian Employers Federation, which received complaints from hotel workers.
MAH reportedly said the policy for hotel frontline staff was an international practice based on an SOP.