Unjustified termination, cry church workers

Two senior church workers have filed a complaint on unjust termination of employment at the Industrial Relations Department recently.

KUALA LUMPUR: Two senior church workers, who have put in more than 28 years service each, have filed a complaint on unjust termination of employment at the Industrial Relations Department recently.

Lawrence John, 53, and Canute Januarius, 54, former staff of Cahayasuara Communications Centre (CCC), the social communications office of the Archdiocese, said that their former employer, Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, terminated their service of employment with effect from Sept 30 on the alleged grounds of redundancy.

Archbishop Pakiam, who is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur (RCAKL), also closed down CCC on the same day.

Both claim that the grounds of redundancy leading to the closure of CCC was done without just cause, with malice, and was not bona fide based on the following grounds:

• CCC had been serving the people in Malaysia and the region for more than 45 years since 1967;

• Functions of CCC were to be taken over on 1 Oct. 2013 by a new entity known as the Social Communications Ministry (SCM) of the RCAKL;

• In a letter dated 1 July 2013, Archbishop Pakiam proposed a VSS package to CCC staff;

• Only in this letter did the Archbishop first inform the staff of the closure of CCC with effect from 30 September 2013, and the formation of SCM to replace it;

• No reasons were given as to why SCM was to be formed to replace CCC;

• No prior discussion was held either with the staff leading to the formation of SCM;

• The Archbishop did not divulge the proposed formation of SCM to the staff before proposing the VSS.

Lawrence said he is unhappy Archbishop Pakiam decision as he could not justify the reason behind the termination despite letters have been sent in to him numerous time.

He said with the Minimum Retirement Age Act 2012, staff are entitled to continue working until 60.

However, Lawrence said the Archbishop’s unjust termination has denied CCC staff this right under Malaysian law.

Lawrence and Canute, formerly director and senior training coordinator demanded respectively of CCC, seek to be reinstated to their former positions so that they may continue their work in social communications.

“He have to comply to the rule and show example to other organasations as we are religious organisation”

“We both appealed in writing to the Archbishop to be allowed to continue working in CCC,”

“However, there was no response, written or otherwise, from the Archbishop to their three written appeals,”

He said that the way a decision was made on this vital matter – non-optional termination – casts serious doubts on whether the principles of ‘collein giality’ and maximum consultation were practised by the Archbishop. Only three-months’ notice was given to them on a matter of such gravity.

The Archbishop has sent a notice to churches stating that the former staff of CCC are not authorised to carry out any activities in the Archdiocese. “What does this notice reveal about the character and integrity of the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur?” he questioned.