Govt snubbing railwaymen

The government has always ignored the Railwaymen's Union of Malaya's concerns, and it is doing so at its own peril.

PETALING JAYA: Demands made by embattled train workers have been constantly sidestepped, according to the Railwaymen’s Union of Malaya (RUM).

RUM president Abdul Razak Md Hassan said the government ignored the union whenever requests were made and only responded after the latter took to the streets two weeks ago.

“The union does not want to threaten the government … (but) to this day all our letters to (Transport Minister) Kong Cho Ha … have not been replied to,” he said in a press release.

Abdul Razak said that all requests for a meeting with the Transport Ministry prior to the union’s July 30 picket were similarly ignored.

It was only after the protest, he said, that the government finally commented on the matter.

On July 30, RUM along with 300 Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) employees demonstrated in front of the train company’s headquarters.

They were angered by the renewal of KTMB president Aminuddin Adnan’s contract by the Finance Ministry, which extended his tenure by another two years.

Aminuddin, RUM said, was responsible for many of the company’s problems, including the alleged disappearance of RM300 million in KTMB cash reserves and overdrafts.

Fed up with the government sidestepping, the union threatened to committ to a “work-to-rule” during the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.

Thousands of Malaysians depend on trains to ferry them home during the Aidilfitri holidays.

Upon hearing about RUM’s demands, Kong, according to a Berita Harian report, warned the union not to “threaten the government”.

A Bernama report added that according to KTMB, RUM’s “work-to-rule” threat would not affect the train company’s services.

Abdul Razak, however, scoffed at these statements. He said that a “work-to-rule” could pull down KTMB’s services by as much as 75%.

(A work-to-rule is a form of protest where workers do not work beyond the minimum requirements of their contract. Such an action may result in a slow-down.)

“The union does not intend to threaten any parties, or to inconvenience Malaysians,” he said, adding that KTMB employees were still going to follow proper safety procedures in their protest against Aminuddin.