Nube leaders lodge counter-police reports against minister

 

The National Union of Bank Employees (Nube) leaders have lodged a series of police reports against Human Resources Minister M Saravanan.

This was after the Nube secretary-general J Solomon was investigated by police after Saravanan (above) lodged a police report against him.

"The national executive of Nube takes this police report lodged by the minister as an intimidation tactic to silence union leaders from raising concerns regarding the housing plight of workers especially during the worsening Covid 19 pandemic," said Nube president Tan Eng Hong.

As such, he said five Nube branch leaders on Thursday lodged police reports against Saravanan on grounds that he was trying to stop the unions from raising questions about the enforcement of the Workers Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446).

"We call upon the police to investigate the police reports lodged by the union leaders against the minister that the minister has intimidated the Union leaders by lodging his report against the secretary-general of Nube," he said.

The police reports were lodged by Tan, Nube deputy president Abdul Jamil, vice-president Syukri Mustaffa, vice-chairperson Mohd Faisal Husin and /Kelantan/Terengganu branch chief Wan Mohd Affendi Husain.

Saravanan had claimed Solomon slandered him and misled the public by asking the Human Resources Ministry not to relax the enforcement of Act 446.

Last month, Saravanan was reported as saying that the government had agreed to relax enforcement after representation from employers.

Saravanan later clarified that Act 446 was not suspended and is still in force.

Act 446 sets the minimum standards that employers must abide by for workers’ lodging and work environment.

The law is seen as essential, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, as crowded quarters have led to Covid-19 clusters. - Mkini