“The Changing Role of Trade Unions and Employers in Creating Green Jobs that its Policy Link to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in Sabah Banking Industry: Impact on Industrial Relations” | Published April 2023 | Best Paper, LERA/Illinois Climate Jobs Institute Symposium, May 2024

A study co-authored by our Principal Consultant, Mr. Tsen King Foh (“Sam”), received the Best Paper award at the LERA/Illinois Climate Jobs Institute Symposium, held in Clinton, Illinois in May 2024.

The research was funded by a grant from Jabatan Hal Ehwal Kesatuan Sekerja (JHEKS) under Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources. It examined how trade unions and employers in Sabah’s banking sector are responding to ESG-driven demand for green jobs, drawing on close collaboration with the Sabah Banking Employees’ Union (SBEU).

The research team was led by Chief Investigator Prof. Dr. Balakrishnan Parasuraman, Dean of the Centre of Post Graduate Studies at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) who presented the paper, with co-researchers Ms. Margaret Chin Sat Peng (President, SBEU), Dr. Jayaraj Vijaya Kumaran (UMK), Mr. Mohammad Firdaus Nizam (then Special Officer to UMK’s Vice Chancellor), and Mr. Tsen King Foh, who contributed his background in environmental impact assessment, waste management and ESG corporate reporting.

The symposium was chaired by Richard A. Benton of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and featured research from institutions including Stanford Law School and universities in Brazil.