‘The doctor of vile intentions’

Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam continues to draw flak, with the latest salvo coming from the the Railywaymen's Union.

PETALING JAYA: The Railwaymen’s Union of Malaya (RUM) has denounced Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam as a man of “vile intentions”.

RUM president Abdul Razak Md Hassan said that the minister could have stopped Maybank from forming its in-house union, the Maybank Non-Executive Union (Mayneu).

However, by allowing Mayneu to be registered, Abdul Razak claimed that Subramaniam was responsible for trying to divide Malaysia’s unionised workers.

“The forming of the in-house union as a national one is an action of vile intentions by the minister of human resources.

“This action is seen as a deliberate attempt to divide the unity of (Malaysia’s) unionised workers,” he said in a press statement.

Abdul Razak also accused Subramaniam of not taking a stand and allowing the issue to become a national problem.

Local unions, including the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC), have attacked the minister for seemingly supporting moves that would allegedly undermine the country’s workers.

They were angered by the minister’s failure to address the National Union of Bank Employees’ (NUBE) concerns over Maybank sacking two of its staff.

Last month, Maybank sacked NUBE vice-president Abdul Jamil Jalaludeen and its honorary treasurer Chen Ka Fatt for taking part in a trade union activity in Geneva, Switzerland last year.

At the time, the duo – both Maybank employees – had carried a banner that said: “Maybank robs poor Malaysian workers.”

RUM was also frustrated with Subramaniam’s tabling of controversial amendments to the Employment Act 1955, which MTUC said would allow third parties to employ workers.

Abdul Razak took Subramaniam to task for basing these nationwide amendments on the wishes of the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW).

“The union (RUM) wishes to ask if the NUPW is representative of all unions in this country, or if 51% of Malaysia’s workers come from the plantation sector?”

“The minister has to look at the wishes of all unions and workers in Malaysia, and not just at those of the plantation union,” he said.

Abdul Razak claimed that the minister had failed to protect the interests of Malaysia’s workers thus far.

Having enough with Subramaniam, RUM hoped that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would intervene and restore industrial harmony.