The Sarawak Labour Ordinance Explained

Workers in Kuching, Miri and Sibu may assume that the rules they read online, written for the Peninsula, govern them. For basic entitlements, that assumption can be wrong.

What it means

Sarawak runs its own Labour Ordinance for the state, rather than the Employment Act that covers Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan. It is the local statute that sets things like notice and leave for Sarawak workers.

It is a separate law, so a rule quoted for the Employment Act does not automatically bind an employer in Bintulu or Sri Aman.

Why it matters to you

If your problem is a statutory entitlement, the Sarawak Ordinance is the yardstick your employer is measured against, not a Peninsular guide.

The right statute matters most when the argument is about money owed when you leave, because the wording of the local Ordinance decides it.

Where the nationwide rules still apply

The right to challenge an unfair dismissal does not change by state.

It runs through the Industrial Court, which has a branch in Kuching, and JPPM confirms which branch hears your case, under the same Industrial Relations Act used everywhere.

So the 60-day window to act is identical for a worker in Sarawak. You can check yours on the deadline calculator, then treat the local Ordinance and the national dismissal process as two separate questions.

For the general concepts, see notice period and termination benefits, confirming the exact Sarawak figures before you rely on them.