Treaty rejected over LGBT clause

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and the Malaysian Employers Federa­tion (MEF) voted against an international treaty to promote a harassment-and-violence free workplace because a section in the document includes the LGBT community. In a list of countries voting for the adoption of the Convention Concer­n­ing Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work, MTUC was shown as the sole union in the world against the treaty. MEF and employer representatives from Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Singapore also voted against the treaty. The ballots were cast during the International Labour Conference in Geneva on June 21. Governments, employers and workers’ representatives from 439 countries voted in favour of the treaty.