AMESU

This Association was registered in 1936.The Association pursued its declared objectives but it could not “negotiate” with the employers. It presented petitions for the removal of wage cuts, the improvement of Estate housing, education facilities and the introduction of a provident fund. It found ways and means to assist the unemployed members and conducted educational courses for its members.The Association was determined to organize the staff and to spread the importance of unionism among employees, educate the members and to draw the employers’ attention to the problems and sufferings of the estate staff. It produced in 1938 a monthly journal named “AMEASAN”.

It served as a very useful link between the members and the Association. In the 1950’s, AMEASAN was changed to AMESUN.The Union attached more importance for reporting and for dissemination ideas and spreading news of trade unionism. Since 1972, the Union published its BERITA AMESU. It became very popular in the eighties.But the Association continued to look after the interests of the estate staff employees in general and in particular the members during the war period and the Japanese occupation.After the war ended there were other problems like distance, lack of communication and poor transport facilities contributed to the creation in the west coast of Malaya of a number of unions catering for the estate staff. In all, there were 13 such unions, serving members in the plantation.However, with the formation of the Federation of All Malayan Estates Staff Union in 1949, all the smaller unions joined the federation to make it more cohesive and stronger.

This Federation was registered as a Union on 4th July, 1949.The affiliates of the Federation had somehow failed to give the Federation the support it deserved. As it stood, the Federation had “no control over the affiliated unions and some of the affiliated unions becoming defunct through lack of leadership.The affiliates of the Federation had somehow failed to give the Federation the support it deserved. As it stood, the Federation had “no control over the affiliated unions and some of the affiliated unions becoming defunct through lack of leadership.The affiliated unions stressed the need for a strong, centralized, single union for the estate staff. There was opposition and difficulties at the onset but the desire to form a single union for the estate staff became a reality when the All Malayan Estates Staff Union finally emerged and registered on 31st August, 1956.