16 affiliates file suits to declare MTUC polls null and void

 

According to the suit, MTUC had failed to provide the secretary’s report together with financial statements for the last three years.

PETALING JAYA: A group of major affiliates of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) have filed two suits against the newly-elected principal officer bearers, claiming that they had violated the organisation’s constitution in calling for the triennial delegates conference (TDC) last month and the elections.

Led by its former president Halim Mansor and ex-secretary-general J Solomon, the 16 unions are seeking a declaration that the elections held on July 2 and 3 were invalid. They also sought an order for the 19 new office-bearers for the 2023-2025 term not to discuss or change policy matters pending the disposal of the applications.

The Shah Alam High Court has fixed Aug 10 for the case management of the injunction while the application for the second order will be managed on Aug 18. According to a spokesman for the group’s legal team, the documents have already been served on the MTUC leadership.

Among the unions involved are the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE), Railwaymen’s Union of Malaysia (RUM), Association of Maybank Class One Officers, National Union of Transport Equipment & Allied Industry Workers, National Union of Telekom Employees (NUTE), National Union of Petroleum, and the Chemical Industries in Peninsular Malaysia, and the National Union of Drink Industry Workers Peninsular Malaysia.

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FMT has reached out to MTUC secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Mansor for comment.

In the suit sighted by FMT, the group is claiming that the MTUC leadership had failed to stick to the congress’s constitutional requirement in calling for the TDC and nominations for the elections. They said MTUC had also failed to provide the secretary’s report together with financial statements for the last three years.

They are thus seeking a declaration that the elections are null and void, and want fresh polls to be called.

“The MTUC leadership had failed to call for the delegates conference at least seven weeks before the date and instead of closing nominations on May 12 as required, it did so three days earlier. It also failed to provide the secretary’s report and the financial statements at least two weeks before the TDC,” the group said in its statement of claim.

It said under the constitution, the TDC is supposed to be held anytime between October and December of the third year of the term but the leaders held it in July instead. - FMT