MTUC confirms receiving complaint on 'no praying during work' memo

The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) has confirmed receiving complaints from workers at Hond Tat Industries Sdn Bhd (Hond Tat) that their prayer times had been restricted.

This comes as the management of the Klang-based factory reportedly denied issuing a memo barring staff from praying during work hours.

Speaking to Malaysiakini today, MTUC president Abdul Halim Mansor recalled that a Hond Tat employee had reached out to him on July 30 and asked what rights workers had with regards to prayer times.

The next day, he was sent an image of the alleged memo, which stated that employees were not allowed to pray except during lunchtime and would be fined RM500 for each offence.

Concerned that this was a possible violation of the Employment Act 1955, Abdul Halim said he immediately forwarded a complaint to the Labour Department (JTK) about the memo.

“As soon as I received it, that morning we contacted JTK Putrajaya, who in turn instructed JTK Selangor to investigate the matter,” he said.

Malaysiakini has sighted MTUC’s complaint.

‘Memo was seen on-site’

An image of the memo has since been widely shared and criticized on social media platforms, with many noting that it violated the religious rights of workers especially those of the Muslim faith.

Yesterday, an unnamed Hond Tat operations manager reportedly told the New Straits Times that the July 30 memo was “fake”, drawing attention to the fact that it did not bear any signatures. The manager also said that the memo could have been an act of “sabotage” by a disgruntled employee.

However, an unidentified staff later supposedly told Utusan Online that the memo was real and had been retracted after it courted flak online.

For Abdul Halim, he said he had reasons to believe that the memo had indeed originated from the manufacturer that produced shopping bags and hygiene products.

“Although it was not signed, the notice was displayed on a notice board at the factory. It was not delivered to individual workers but was put up as a general notice to all staff [...]

“MTUC believes that the memo is from the company as it bore the company’s letterhead and it was seen on the premises of the company,” he said.

This information was based on a report from a Hond Tat worker, he added.

Abdul Halim said that he was now satisfied with the issue after the company supposedly retracted the directive.

Hond Tat has since lodged a police report denying it issued the memo and Klang Utara police have taken a statement from a member of its management.

Both the police and the Human Resources Ministry have urged the public to refrain from speculating over the issue.

Previous attempts by Malaysiakini to contact Hond Tat were unsuccessful. - Mkini