PUTRAJAYA, Jan 20- The allocation for the Trade Union Affairs Program (PHEKS) has been increased to RM10 million this year, compared to RM5.8 million last year.

Minister of Human Resources, Steven Sim Chee Keong, stated that this increase aligns with efforts to empower workers and aims to streamline trade union management through digitization.

The maximum grant application limit for trade unions has also been raised from RM20,000 last year to RM30,000.

"We have increased the allocation from RM5.8 million to RM10 million for this year, and the maximum amount that can be applied for training clusters has been increased. In 2023, it is RM10 million.

"Last year, I raised it to RM20 million. This year, the maximum amount that can be applied for is RM30,000 for each application.

"This is part of our efforts under Kesuma to empower trade unions through skill enhancement training programs and a new sector or cluster focusing on the digitization of trade union management operations," he said.

He made these remarks during at the Lawatan Kerja Bersama Gabungan Kesatuan Badan Berkanun Diasingkan Saraan Dan Bebas (GKSBBDSB).

As of now, there are 759 registered trade unions across the country under the Department of Trade Union Affairs (JHEKS), with a membership of over one million workers.