Dismissed From a Job in Kedah
Retrenched in Kulim or let go in Langkawi, your time limit runs from your last working day.
Kedah runs on three economies. There is electronics manufacturing at Kulim Hi-Tech Park, tourism in Langkawi, and a wide padi belt around Alor Setar.
A dismissal from any of these runs through the same Section 20 process.
Kulim’s factories and Langkawi’s resorts
Electronics workers at Kulim Hi-Tech Park more often face formal retrenchment exercises. These are usually tied to production changes at the plant.
Langkawi’s resort and hospitality staff are more likely to be let go around the low tourist season, sometimes with little explanation.
Both situations still require a genuine, specific reason from the employer, not just a general reference to demand.
Hired hands on padi farms around Alor Setar often work without a written contract. If one was let go without warning, the same rights still apply.
Who this route covers, and what it can pay out
The Section 20 route applies to workmen at any salary.1 A well paid Kulim engineer is covered the same as anyone else.
If back wages become part of your case, the amount depends on your status.2 Confirmed staff can claim up to twenty four months, probationers up to twelve.
That distinction is worth checking early, since it shapes what your claim can ask for.
Alor Setar’s Zahir Mosque area also anchors a public sector and services workforce. A dismissal there tends to come with more paperwork than a factory or farm role.
Filing a Kedah case
Kedah has no Industrial Court branch of its own. A claim goes to the Industrial Court, and the Industrial Relations Department (JPPM) confirms the hearing branch.
Conciliation runs first through the JPPM office for Kedah, based in Alor Setar.
Use the deadline calculator once you know your last working day. Start your Section 20 representation while the details are fresh.
Whether your job was in a Kulim cleanroom, a Langkawi resort or a padi field, write down what your employer told you and when.
If you want a lawyer to act, request lawyer contact first; only after an identified independent lawyer has contacted you and specifically requested the material, send those notes with your dates. An independent lawyer may review the facts and replies about whether and how they can act.
If your job in Kulim, Langkawi or the padi belt ended and you want a lawyer to take the claim on, send your dates and what happened. An independent employment lawyer may review the facts and replies about whether and how 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
I was retrenched from a factory in Kulim Hi-Tech Park. Does my engineering salary put me outside the unfair dismissal route?
No, the Section 20 route covers workmen regardless of salary, so a well paid Kulim engineer can still bring a claim. Keep your offer letter and payslips, since your pay history matters later for any back wages calculation.
My resort job in Langkawi ended right before the low tourist season. Is that a normal reason to let me go?
A seasonal slowdown does not remove the employer's duty to justify the dismissal. Keep your contract and roster, since your employer still needs a specific, genuine reason for choosing you rather than simply pointing to the season.
I was only a few months into my job in Alor Setar when I was let go. Does that limit what I can claim?
If you were still on probation, back wages are generally capped at twelve months rather than the twenty four months available to confirmed staff. Whether you had passed probation is one of the first things worth checking with your contract.
Sources
- The unfair dismissal route under Section 20 covers all workmen, including employees earning above RM4,000 a month, even though some Employment Act benefit provisions are limited by wage. MECA, Industrial Relations Act 1967 Guide
- Back wages at the Industrial Court are generally capped at twenty four months pay for a confirmed employee and twelve months for a probationer under the Second Schedule of the Industrial Relations Act 1967. Donovan & Ho
Keep reading
If your job in Kulim, Langkawi or the padi belt ended and you want a lawyer to take the claim on, send your dates and what happened. An independent employment lawyer may review the facts and replies about whether and how 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.