In Malaysia, employers are mandated to grant employees a comprehensive array of leave entitlements totalling six distinct categories.
This post delves into these vital employee entitlements, shedding light on the legal provisions, conditions, and considerations surrounding:
annual leave,
sick leave,
hospitalisation,
maternity leave,
paternity leave, and
public holidays.
Understanding these leave types is crucial for both employers and employees to ensure a harmonious and well-regulated work environment.
1. Sick Leave:
Employees in Malaysia are entitled to paid sick leave when they are medically unfit to work.
Employees must provide a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner to be eligible for paid sick leave.
The statutory sick leave entitlements outlined in the Employment Act are as follows [s 60F]:-
2. Hospitalisation Leave:
Hospitalisation leave is provided for employees who require hospitalisation due to illness or injury.
Medical certificates or proof of hospitalisation are usually required to claim hospitalisation leave.
Under the Employment (Amendment) Act 2022, hospitalisation leave of 60 days would be regarded separately from any paid sick leave now.
With this amendment, employees will be entitled to an additional 60 days of paid hospital leave in addition to the number of paid sick leave days they are entitled to in a calendar year (depending on the length of employment)
3. Annual Leave:
Annual leave is provided to employees for rest, relaxation, and personal time off.
Employers usually define the criteria for taking annual leave, such as notice periods and blackout dates.
The amount of annual leave is dependent on tenure of service; an employee shall be entitled to paid annual leave of [s 60E]:
To qualify for annual leave, the employee must have served at least twelve months with the employer.
If the employees have not completed twelve months of continuous service with the same employer during the year in which their contract of service terminates, their entitlement to paid annual leave shall be in direct proportion to the number of completed months of service.
The employee’s annual leave will be forfeited unless otherwise specified in the employment agreement:
in the case of dismissal for misconduct [s 14(1)(a)],
absenteeism from work without permission for more than 10% of the working days during the twelve months of continuous service, or
if the leave is not used up within 12 months after the end of every twelve months of continuous service (unless with prior consent from the employer).
4. Maternity Leave:
Female employees in Malaysia are entitled to 98 days of maternity leave if they meet specific eligibility requirements.
Employers are required to pay maternity leave based on the Employment Act 1955.
5. Paternity Leave:
Malaysia introduced paternity leave under the Employment (Amendment) Act 2022
A married male employee is now entitled to paid paternity leave at his ordinary pay rate for 7 consecutive days for each child if:-
The employee has been employed by the same employer for at least 12 months immediately before the commencement of such paternity leave.
The employee has notified his employer of his spouse's pregnancy at least 30 days from the expected birth or as early as possible.
6. Public Holidays
Every employee shall be entitled to [s 60D(1)]:
11 paid gazetted public holidays at his ordinary rate of pay on the following days in any one calendar year, five of which shall be:
the National Day;
the Birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong;
the Birthday of the Ruler or the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, as the case may be, of the State in which the employee wholly or mainly works under his contract of service, or the Federal Territory Day if the employee wholly or mainly works in the Federal Territory;
the Workers’ Day, and
Malaysia Day; and
on any day appointed as a public holiday for that particular year under section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951
By agreement between the employer and employee, any other day or days may be substituted for one or more of the remaining gazetted public holidays not stated in above.
If a public holiday falls on a rest day or any other public holiday, the following day shall be considered the paid holiday.
If an employee is on sick or annual leave during a public holiday, they are owed a replacement day.
However, if an employee is absent from work on the day immediately before or after a public holiday with no just cause, they forfeit the right to the paid holiday.
Please keep in mind that employment laws and regulations can change over time. It's essential to check the latest labour laws and your company's employment policies to ensure you have the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding leave entitlements in Malaysia.
在马来西亚，雇主必须为员工提供全面的休假权利，共分为六个不同的类别。
本篇文章将深入探讨这些重要的员工权益，阐明相关的法律规定、条件和注意事项：
年假
病假、
住院
产假
陪产假和
公共假期。
了解这些假期类型对于雇主和雇员确保和谐、规范的工作环境至关重要。
1. 病假：
在马来西亚，当员工因病不适合工作时，可享受带薪病假。
员工必须提供注册医生出具的医疗证明，才有资格享受带薪病假。
《1955年劳工法令》规定的法定病假，按照服务年资如下 [第 60F 条]：
2. 住院假：
住院假是为因生病或受伤需要住院的雇员提供的休假。
申请住院假，通常需要医疗证明或住院证明。
根据《2022 年就业（修正）法令》，60 天的住院假将与目前的带薪病假分开处理。
根据上述修法令，雇员在一个日历年度内，除了有权享有带薪病假（取决于受雇时间长短）天数之外，还可额外享受 60 天的带薪住院假。
3. 年假：
年假是为雇员提供的休息、放松和个人休假的时间。
雇主通常会规定休年假的标准，如通知期和禁止休假日期。
年假的多少取决于服务年限；雇员有权享受 [第 60E 条] 的带薪年假如下：
雇员必须为雇主服务至少十二个月，才有资格休年假。
如果雇员在其雇佣合约终止的年度内没有为其雇主连续服务满十二个月，也就是说在没有服务满12个月的情况下，他离职。在这种情况下，他还是享有带薪年假，将按所服务满的月数比例计算。
除非雇用协议另有规定，否则雇员的年假将被取消：
因行为不当而被解雇 [第 14(1)(a)条]、
在连续服务的 12 个月内，未经许可缺勤超过 10%的工作日，或
在连续服务每满 12 个月后的 12 个月内未用完假期 (除非事先征得雇主同意）。
4. 产假：
马来西亚的女性雇员如果符合特定的资格要求，有权享受 98 天的产假。
雇主必须根据 《1955年劳工法令》支付产假工资。
5. 陪产假：
马来西亚根据《2022 年就业（修订）法令》推出了新的陪产假。
在以下情况下，已婚男性雇员现在有权为每个孩子享受连续 7 天的带薪陪产假，假期以普通薪资计 算：
雇员在侍产假开始前已受雇于同一雇主至少 12 个月。
雇员在预产期至少 30 天前或尽早通知雇主。
6. 公众假期
每名雇员均有权享有按其正常工资率计算的带薪公共假期，如下 [第 60D(1)条]：
在任何一个日历年，享有 11 天在宪报颁布的公共假期假日，其中五天为
国庆日
国家元首华诞
雇员根据其工作地点所在的州的最高统治者生日（视情况而定），或联邦地区日（如果雇员完全或主要在联邦地区工作）；
劳动节，以及
马来西亚日；以及
根据 1951 年《假期法》第 8 条被指定为该年度公共假期的任何一天。
经雇主和雇员双方同意，可以用任何其他一天或多天代替上述未列出（也就是说 11天当中，不在上述提到的5天) 的一个或多个其他的公共假期。
如果公共假期适逢休息日或任何其他公共假日，那么隔天应当被视为带薪假日。
如果雇员在公共假日期间休病假或年假，那么就需要补休一天。
但是，如果员工在公共假期的前一天或后一天无正当理由缺勤，则会丧失带薪休假的权利。
请记住，就业法规会随着时间的推移而改变。请务必查阅最新的劳动法和贵公司的雇佣政策，以确保您掌握有关马来西亚休假权利的最新、最准确的信息。