Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350

Incorporating all amendments up to 30 September 2011

ACT 350 
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 

1.Short title and application

1a.Interpretation

Chapter Employment

Chapter Employment

SECTION

2.Employment in which children and young persons may be engaged

3.The Minister may prohibit any child or young person from engaging or being engaged in any employment

4.Number of days of work

5.Hours of work of children

6.Hours of work of young persons

Chapter PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT

Chapter PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT

SECTION

7.Employment connected with public entertainment

Chapter INQUIRY INTO WAGES

Chapter INQUIRY INTO WAGES

SECTION

8.Power to prescribe minimum wages after inquiry

Chapter MISCELLANEOUS

Chapter MISCELLANEOUS

SECTION

9.Administration and enforcement

9a.Offence by body corporate, etc.

10.Jurisdiction

11.Prosecutions and right of audience

12.Certificate of medical officer as to age

13.Contractual capacity

14.Penalty

15.Regulations

16.Application of certain provisions of the Employment Act 1955 and regulations made thereunder

17.Omitted or Deleted Section

18.Saving

First Schedule

Second Schedule

Third Schedule

An Act to regulate the employment of children and young persons.

[1 October 1966, P.U. 356/1966]⁺

BE IT ENACTED by the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong with the advice and consent of the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/1.Short title and application

1. Short title and application

(1) This Act may be cited as the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966.

(2) This Act shall apply only to the States of Peninsular Malaysia.^*

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/1a.Interpretation

1a. Interpretation

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires--

"agricultural undertaking"

means any work in which any person is employed under a contract of service for the purposes of agriculture or horticulture, the tending of domestic animals and poultry or the collection of the produce of any plants or trees, but does not include any work performed in a forest;

"child"

means any person who has not completed his fifteenth year of age;

"contract of service"

means any agreement, whether oral or in writing and whether express or implied, whereby a person agrees in accordance with the provisions of this Act to employ a child or young person and that child or young person agrees to serve him and includes an apprenticeship contract;

"employ" and "employment"

mean employment in any labour for the purposes of gain, whether the gain be to a child, young person or to any other person;

"employer"

means any person who has entered into a contract of service to employ any child or young person and includes the agent, manager or factor of such first-mentioned person;

"entertainment"

includes any exhibition or performance; and a person is deemed to take part in an entertainment when such person is employed in or connected with such entertainment whether as a performer, stage-hand or musician;

"guardian"

in relation to child or young person, includes any person who, in the opinion of the court having cognizance of any case in relation to the child or young person or in which the child or young person is concerned, has for the time being the charge of or control over the child or young person;

"light work"

means any work performed by a worker-

"Minister"

means the minister for the time being charged with responsibility for labour;

"public entertainment"

means entertainment to which the public or any section of the public is admitted or in connection with which any charge, whether for admission or not, is made or at which any collection or subscription is received and includes performances for the making of films for public exhibition other than news films but does not include any entertainment given by the pupils of any school registered under the ^*Education Act 1961 [Act 43 of 1961] at or under the auspices of such school, or any entertainment promoted by a voluntary, social or welfare body which has been approved by the Director General;

"vessel"

includes any ship or boat or any other description of vessel used in navigation;

"young person"

means any person who, not being a child, has not completed his eighteenth year of age.

(2) Other expression have the same meanings as in the Employment Act 1955 [Act 265] and the Weekly Holidays Act 1950 [Act 220].

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/2.Employment in which children and young persons may be engaged

2. Employment in which children and young persons may be engaged

(1) No child or young person shall be, or be required or permitted to be, engaged in hazardous work, or any employment other than those specified in this section.

(2) A child may be engaged in any of the following employments:

(a) employment involving light work suitable to his capacity in any undertaking carried on by his family;

(b) employment in any public entertainment, in accordance with the terms and conditions of a licence granted in that behalf under this Act;

(c) employment requiring him to perform work approved or sponsored by the Federal Government or the Government of any State and carried on in any school, training institution or training vessel; and

(d) employment as an apprentice under a written apprenticeship contract approved by the Director General with whom a copy of such contract has been filed. 

(3) A young person may be engaged in any of the following employments:

(a) any employment mentioned in subsection (2); and in relation to paragraph (a) of that subsection any employment suitable to his capacity (whether or not the undertaking is carried on by his family);

(b) employment as a domestic servant;

(c) employment in any office, shop (including hotels, bars, restaurants and stalls), godown, factory, workshop, store, boarding house, theatre, cinema, club or association;

(d) employment in an industrial undertaking suitable to his capacity; and

(e) employment on any vessel under the personal charge of his parent or guardian: 

Provided that no female young person may be engaged in any employment in hotels, bars, restaurants, boarding houses or clubs unless such establishments are under the management or control of her parent or guardian:

Provided further that a female young person may be engaged in any employment in a club not managed by her parent or guardian with the approval of the Director General.

(4) The Minister may, if he is satisfied that any employment (not mentioned in subsection (2) or subsection (3)) is not dangerous to life, limb, health, safety or morals, by order declare such employment to be an employment in which a child or young person may be, or permitted to be, engaged; and the Minister may in such order impose such conditions as he deems fit and he may at any time revoke or vary the order or may withdraw or alter such conditions.

(5) No child or young person shall be, or be required or permitted to be, engaged in any employment contrary to the provisions of the Factories and Machinery Act 1967 [Act 139 ] or the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 [Act 514] or the Electricity Supply Act 1990 Act447] or in any employment requiring him to work underground.

(6) For the purpose of this section, "hazardous work" means any work that has been classified as hazardous work based on the risk assessment conducted by a competent authority on safety and health determined by the minister."

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/3.The Minister may prohibit any child or young person from engaging or being engaged in any employment

3. The Minister may prohibit any child or young person from engaging or being engaged in any employment

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the Minister may, in any particular case, by order prohibit any child or young person from engaging or from being engaged in any of the employments mentioned in section 2 if he is satisfied that having regard to the circumstances such employment would be detrimental to the interests of the child or young person, as the case may be.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/4.Number of days of work

4. Number of days of work

No child or young person engaged in any employment shall in any period of seven consecutive days be required or permitted to work for more than six days.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/5.Hours of work of children

5. Hours of work of children

(1) No child engaged in any employment shall be required or permitted--

(a) to work between the hours of 8 o'clock in the evening and 7 o'clock in the morning;

(b) to work for more than three consecutive hours without a period of rest of at least thirty minutes;

(c) to work for more than six hours in a day or, if the child is attending school, for a period which together with the time he spends attending school, exceeds seven hours; or

(d) to commence work on any day without having had a period of not less than fourteen consecutive hours free from work. 

(2) Paragraph (1)(a) shall not apply to any child engaged in employment in any public entertainment.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/6.Hours of work of young persons

6. Hours of work of young persons

(1) No young person engaged in any employment shall be required or permitted--

(a) to work between the hours of 8 o'clock in the evening and 6 o'clock in the morning;

(b) to work for more than four consecutive hours without a period of rest of at least thirty minutes;

(c) to work for more than seven hours in any one day or, if the young person is attending school, for a period which together with the time he spends attending school, exceeds eight hours:

Provided that if the young person is an apprentice under paragraph 2(2)(d), the period of work in any one day shall not exceed eight hours; or

(d) to commence work on any day without having had a period of not less than twelve consecutive hours free from work. 

(2) Regulation Paragraph (1)(a) shall not apply to any young person engaged in employment in an agricultural undertaking or any employment in a public entertainment or on any vessel under paragraph 2(3)(e).

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/7.Employment connected with public entertainment

7. Employment connected with public entertainment

(1) No child or young person shall take part or be required or permitted to take part in any public entertainment unless there has been issued by the Director General of Labour or by such other Director General as may be authorized in writing in that behalf by the Director General of Labour to the person employing such child or young person a licence in that behalf; and the Director General may, in addition to such conditions or restrictions as may be prescribed from time to time under section 15, impose in respect of such licence (whether at the time the licence is issued or thereafter from time to time) such conditions as he deems fit.

(2) No licence under subsection (1) shall be granted by the Director General to any person where he is of the opinion that the employment is dangerous to the life, limb, safety or morals of the child or young person aforesaid.

(3) The Director General may cancel any licence issued under this section on any ground for which he could refuse to issue a licence or on breach of any condition thereof, and such cancellation shall take effect forthwith until and unless set aside on appeal.

(4) Any child or young person or the parent or guardian of such child or young person or any other person aggrieved by the decision of the Director General aforesaid may within fourteen days of the making of that decision appeal to the Minister, and the decision of the Minister shall be final.

(5) In the event of an appeal, the child or young person or the parent or guardian of such child or young person shall be entitled to be supplied by the Director General the reasons in writing for the cancellation of or refusal to issue a licence or for the imposition of conditions on a licence.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/8.Power to prescribe minimum wages after inquiry

8. Power to prescribe minimum wages after inquiry

(1) If representation is made to the Minister that the wages of children or young persons in any class of work in any area are not reasonable having regard to the nature of the work and conditions of employment obtaining in such class of work, the Minister may, if he considers it expedient, direct an inquiry.

(2) For the purpose of such inquiry, the Minister shall appoint a Board consisting of an independent member who shall be chairman and an equal number of representatives of employers and workers.

(3) The Board shall, after holding the inquiry, report to the Minister its findings and recommendations; and the Minister may, after considering the report of the Board, make an order prescribing the minimum rates of wages to be paid to children or young persons or to both, employed in the class of work in the area aforesaid.

(4) Upon publication of such order, it shall not be lawful for any employer to pay any child or young person to whom the order applies, wages below the minimum rates specified in the order.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/9.Administration and enforcement

9. Administration and enforcement

The Director General of Labour and such other officers appointed under section 3 of the Employment Act 1955 to carry out the provisions of that Act, shall be charged with the responsibility for the carrying out of the provisions of this Act; and references in this Act to the Director General shall unless the context otherwise requires be construed as references to any one of these officers.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/9A.Offence by body corporate, etc.

9A. Offence by body corporate, etc.

Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a body corporate, partnership, society or trade union-

(a) in the case of a body corporate, any person who is a director, manager, or other similar officer of the body corporate at the time of the commission of the offence;

(b) in the case of a partnership, every partner in the partnership at the time of the commission of the offence; and

(c) in the case of a society or trade union, every officebearer of the society or trade union at the time of the commission of the offence, shall be deemed to have committed the offence and may be charged jointly or severally in the same proceedings as the body corporate, partnership, society or trade union."

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/10.Jurisdiction

10. Jurisdiction

Without prejudice to the jurisdiction of the High Court or the Sessions Court, the Court of a First Class Magistrate shall have jurisdiction to try any offence against this Act and to award the full punishment prescribed.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/11.Prosecutions and right of audience

11. Prosecutions and right of audience

(1) Proceedings for offences against this Act or against any order or regulation made thereunder shall not be instituted or conducted except by or on behalf of the Public Prosecutor or by the Director General.

(2) The Director General shall have the right to appear and be heard in any proceedings under this Act, and such right shall include the right to appear and represent a child or young person in any such proceedings.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/12.Certificate of medical officer as to age

12. Certificate of medical officer as to age

Where, in any proceeding under this Act, a person is alleged to be a child or young person, the Court may accept a certificate of a Government Medical Officer to the effect that, in his opinion, such person is or is not a child or young person.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/13.Contractual capacity

13. Contractual capacity

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Contracts Act 1950 [Act 136] or the provisions of any other written law, any child or young person shall be competent to enter into a contract of service under this Act otherwise than as an employer, and may sue as plaintiff without his next friend or defend any action without a guardian ad litem:

Provided that no damages and no indemnity under section 13 of the Employment Act 1955, shall be recoverable from a child or young person for a breach of any contract of service.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/14.Penalty

14. Penalty

(1) Any person contravening any of the provisions of this Act or of any regulations or order made thereunder or who being the parent or guardian of a child or young person knowingly acquiesces in any such contravention in respect of such child or young person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding five thousand ringgit or to both and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to a fine not exceeding ten thousand ringgit or to both.

(2) On the conviction of any person for an offence under subsection (1) the DirectorRegulation General shall, if the person convicted is the holder of a licence under the Theatres and Places of Public Amusement Enactment 1936 of the Federated Malay States [F.M.S. 47 of 1936] or under any other corresponding written law in force, inform the licensing authority concerned of the particulars of such conviction and the licensing authority may take such action as it considers appropriate.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/15.Regulations

15. Regulations

(1) The Minister may make regulations for carrying out any of the purposes of this Act.

(2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the Minister may make regulations to prescribe--

(a) the form of licence to be issued under section 7 and the conditions and restrictions to be attached to such licence;

(b) the times which children and young persons employed shall be entitled to take off from work for meals or as rest periods; and

(c) the procedure to be followed by any Board appointed under subsection 8(2) of this Act. 

(3) The regulations contained in the Third Schedule shall have effect unless and until replaced or amended by regulations made under this section, and shall be deemed to be regulations made under this section.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/16.Application of certain provisions of the Employment Act 1955 and regulations made thereunder

16. Application of certain provisions of the Employment Act 1955 and regulations made thereunder

The provisions of the Employment Act 1955 and of any regulations made thereunder, shall apply to the employment of any child or young person under this Act, as if those provisions were enacted in and form part of this Act; and references in those provisions to "contract of service" and "employer" shall be construed accordingly.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/17.Omitted or Deleted Section

17. Omitted or Deleted Section (Omitted).

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/18.Saving

18. Saving

Nothing in this Act shall be construed as relieving any person who has entered into a contract of service, either as an employer or employee, of any rights, duties or liabilities conferred or imposed upon him by the provisions of any other written law for the time being in force in the States of West Malaysia or to limit any power which may be exercised by any public officer pursuant to any such provisions.

Unannotated Statutes of Malaysia - Principal Acts/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 Act 350/CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (EMPLOYMENT) ACT 1966 ACT 350,,/First Schedule