Dismissed in Sabah? Start at JPPM
Whether you worked at a resort, a plantation or a shipping firm, your claim starts here.
Sabah employers range from resorts and plantations to shipping firms, and JPPM handles conciliation for workers dismissed from any of them.
What does JPPM handle in Sabah?
This office receives written representations from workers employed anywhere in the state, then arranges conciliation between them and their employer.
That spans tourism and services employers in Kota Kinabalu, palm oil, timber and shipping firms around Sandakan, and plantation and trade employers in Tawau.
How does the Sabah Labour Ordinance fit in?
Sabah has its own Labour Ordinance, which sets statutory entitlements like leave and notice, separate from Peninsular Malaysia’s Employment Act.
An unfair dismissal claim is a different matter. It runs under the federal Industrial Relations Act, applied the same way in every state, and JPPM here follows the same process nationwide.
What happens at conciliation?
An officer meets you and your employer to see whether a settlement is possible. Solicitors are not permitted to represent either side inside that meeting itself.1
Many workers still speak with a lawyer beforehand, whatever their industry, to understand what a fair outcome might look like.
How did your case reach this office?
Conciliation follows a written representation to the Director General of Industrial Relations, filed within 60 days of your dismissal.2 Check your exact deadline if that date is recent.
If conciliation does not resolve your dispute, it moves to the Industrial Court, and JPPM confirms the branch (Kota Kinabalu has a branch).
What should you prepare?
Bring your contract, your dismissal letter and a written timeline of events, whatever sector you worked in.
If you want a lawyer’s help before conciliation, send your industry and dismissal date. An independent employment lawyer can review the facts and reply about whether and how they can act.
If your work was based anywhere in Sabah and you want a lawyer's help with your claim, send your industry and dismissal date. An independent employment lawyer can review whether they can act.
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
First contact: general facts only, such as date, location, employment status and a short summary. Keep documents private until an identified independent lawyer contacts you and specifically requests them.
Common questions
Does the Sabah Labour Ordinance mean I go through a different process here?
No. The Ordinance governs statutory entitlements specific to Sabah, but an unfair dismissal claim still runs through JPPM and the federal Industrial Relations Act, the same as anywhere in Malaysia.
I worked on a plantation near Sandakan. Is that treated the same as an office job in Kota Kinabalu?
Yes. The conciliation process does not differ by industry. What determines the office handling your case is that your employment was based in Sabah.
Which industries do Sabah claims come from?
Tourism, plantation, shipping and port employers all operate in Sabah, and a dismissal claim can come from any of them.
What happens if conciliation does not resolve my Sabah case?
It is referred directly to the Industrial Court for a hearing, and JPPM confirms which branch hears it.
Sources
- At conciliation before the Industrial Relations Department, solicitors are not permitted to represent either party inside the meeting itself. Mah Weng Kwai & Associates, Unfair Dismissal
- An employee who considers they were dismissed without just cause or excuse may make a written representation to the Director General of Industrial Relations, asking to be reinstated, within 60 days of the dismissal. Mah Weng Kwai & Associates, Unfair Dismissal
Keep reading
If your work was based anywhere in Sabah and you want a lawyer's help with your claim, send your industry and dismissal date. An independent employment lawyer can review whether they can act.
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
First contact: general facts only, such as date, location, employment status and a short summary. Keep documents private until an identified independent lawyer contacts you and specifically requests them.