Retrenched From A Kuala Lumpur Job
Your Kuala Lumpur role was cut and the reason you were given does not add up.
Kuala Lumpur has more head offices and regional offices than any other city in the country, from banks along Jalan Ampang to the newer offices at TRX. A retrenchment from any of them follows the same national rules.
Where a Kuala Lumpur claim is heard
You start with a written Section 20 representation to the Director General of Industrial Relations.
The Industrial Court headquarters is in the city itself. JPPM confirms which branch hears your case.
How a retrenchment should run
A genuine redundancy still needs a fair order of selection. That is generally last in, first out within the same category of staff.1
Be alert if the role was removed on paper but its duties were handed to someone who stayed. That is worth questioning closely.
If a claim succeeds, an award can include back wages up to the cap for your employment status.2
What to send, and what happens next
You can start with a short message, without leaving your job search. Your retrenchment letter, payslips and any organisation chart showing who stayed can help an identified lawyer later, once they have contacted you and requested them.
The only step in person is the conciliation meeting, and in Kuala Lumpur that is a short trip.
Your next step
Write down what happened at your Kuala Lumpur job in order, with a date for each event. Keep your termination letter and payslips.
Read about building an evidence file before your representation is drafted. Then use the deadline calculator to confirm your filing window from your last working day.
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 papers and the date you were let go directly to that lawyer. They can review the facts and reply on whether and how they can take the claim forward.
If you were retrenched in Kuala Lumpur and doubt the reason or the selection, send the date you were let go and what the employer told you. An independent employment lawyer serving Kuala Lumpur may review the facts and reply on 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
My regional office near Jalan Ampang kept a junior colleague in a role like mine after I was retrenched. Was that allowed?
Not without a reason. The usual principle is last in, first out within the same category of staff, and an employer must justify departing from it and cannot simply prefer another employee.
Does a Kuala Lumpur claim need to be heard outside the city?
No. The Industrial Court headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, and JPPM confirms which branch hears a claim from a head office or regional role.
What can a successful retrenchment claim actually lead to?
An award can include back wages up to the applicable cap, generally twenty four months for a confirmed employee, and in some cases compensation instead of reinstatement. No outcome is promised before your facts are reviewed.
Sources
- In a retrenchment the conventional selection principle is Last In First Out within the affected category, an employer may depart from it only with justification, and the redundancy itself must be genuine. Richard Wee Chambers
- 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 you were retrenched in Kuala Lumpur and doubt the reason or the selection, send the date you were let go and what the employer told you. An independent employment lawyer serving Kuala Lumpur may review the facts and reply on 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.