Chapter 1 – Report of the Policy, Law and Complaints Group In relation thereto, the Commission recommended the amendment of Act 177 so as to include a reasonable time frame for the DIR to handle complaints brought to their attention in order to avoid delay in the settlement of the complaints. This proposition was also supported by the President of MEF who attended the discussion. The Commission also recommended the inclusion of provisions in the Employment Act 1955 and in Act 177 to provide the DL and the DIR respectively with the authority to prevent employers from initiating any disciplinary action against employees in relation to disputes which are still pending resolution at those departments. On 11 August, the Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR) organised a consultation with NGOs to review the Employment Act 1955, the Trade Unions Act 1959, and Act 177. The Commission was invited to the consultation and utilised the platform to reiterate the Commission’s recommendations. During the Dialogue Session with Government Agencies on SUHAKAM’s 2014 Annual Report on 10 December, the DIR informed the Commission that every complaint regarding the of violation of unions’ rights is dealt with seriously, and this fact is reflected in the number of cases that the DIR had handled in 2015 - 58 cases had been handled under Section 8 of Act 17740 and one case under Section 59 of the same Act. (f) (g) 40 has absented himself from work without leave for the purpose of carrying out his duties or exercising his rights as an officer of a trade union where he applied for leave in accordance with section 6 before he absented himself and leave was unreasonably deferred or withheld; or being a member of a panel appointed under section 21 has absented himself from work for the purpose of performing his functions and duties as a member of the Court and has notified the employer before he absented himself. Section 8 of the Industrial Relations Act 1967: (1) Any complaint of any contravention of section 4, 5, or 7 may be lodged in writing to the Director General setting out all the facts and circumstances constituting the complaint. (2) The Director General upon receiving any complaint under subsection (1) may take such steps or make such enquiries as he considers necessary or expedient to resolve the complaint; where the complaint is not resolved the Director General shall notify the Minister. 84 BOOK-ANR2016-01-latest.indb 84 08/04/2016 3:32 PM