"Malaysian Workers Protest Union-Busting at Apple Supplier", 4 February 2026

Workers in Malaysia who make screens like the one you are reading this article on are protesting after union leaders were fired following an organizing victory. The workers make LED screens for companies including Apple.

The Electronics Industry Employees Union Northern Region (EIEUNR) won an election in November to represent workers at the Lumileds factory in Penang. Of the 1,200 eligible voters, 65 percent voted for the union, with 89 percent turnout.

The union won despite company threats to deport migrant workers or evict them from company housing if they supported the union. The employer also excluded 200 union supporters from the voter list, and told workers in captive-audience meetings that they would only get better wages and benefits if they voted against the union.

Now instead of bargaining, EIEUNR says, Lumileds management is continuing to try to bust the union. Sukhairul Bin Khalid, one of the leaders of the organizing effort, was fired ... for stepping in to defend a migrant worker who supported the union from harassment by an anti-union co-worker.

Several migrant workers who supported the union have been deported. And the company opened disciplinary proceedings against union chair Syahnorizal bin Abdul Hamid.

The union is calling for the immediate reinstatement of all fired and deported members with back pay, an end to all disciplinary proceedings against union leaders, and for Lumileds to bargain in good faith with the union.

…, a dozen workers delivered a petition signed by 400 union members to management protesting the firing of Bin Khalid and discipline against bin Abdul Hamid. The company has agreed to drop the case against the union chairman…

Overall, more than 600,000 electronics workers in Malaysia play an integral role in the supply chain of companies like Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Bose. Electronics goods account for nearly 40 percent of the value of Malaysia’s exports.

But few workers in the industry belong to unions. That’s despite the fact that many of the biggest electronics companies have codes of conduct in which they commit to respect workers’ freedom of association throughout their supply chains…

PERVASIVE UNION-BUSTING

Malaysian labor law requires companies to recognize and bargain with a union that wins a majority vote among eligible workers—not just a majority of those voting, as in the U.S…

At Lumileds, the company is using moves that are all too familiar to U.S. union activists: delay, combined with attacks on worker leaders…

MIGRANT WORKERS

Malaysia’s electronics industry relies heavily on migrant workers from Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. These workers come on temporary contracts that are renewable every two years. At Lumileds, supporters estimate that 30 percent of the workforce is migrant workers. That figure is even higher in other factories…