Don’t dock workers’ pay during water cut, bosses urged

 

Water tankers are being stationed in Penang in view of the water supply shutdown next week. (PBAPP pic)

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress has warned employers against docking workers’ pay during next week’s water supply shutdown in Penang, after reports that hundreds of factories will halt operations on Jan 10-11.

Penang MTUC secretary K Veeriah said he had received reports of employers planning to force workers to take their annual leave, unpaid leave or replace their days off when the operations are halted temporarily.

In a statement, he also said some are planning to replace the hours lost during the shutdown by working extended hours on normal working days.

“Penang MTUC is of the view that it is unfair to impose any form of replacement working hours or to work on public holidays in substitution,” he said in a statement.

“Enforcing annual leave during the said shutdown would also deprive workers of their annual leave entitlement. And the worst would be workers being placed on unpaid leave which would translate to lower disposable monthly income for them.

“In all of the above circumstances one fact remains – employers are taxing workers to replace production downtime and, in the process, making workers work longer hours free of additional rates of pay,” he said.

K Veeriah.

Veeriah urged employers affected by the scheduled water cuts to ensure their workers are granted their salaries and not forced to take annual or unpaid leave during the supply disruption.

If any employer resorts to such actions, he urged workers to file complaints with the labour department and human resources ministry.

“We also advise workers not to sign leave application forms, be it for annual leave or unpaid leave.”

Penang’s largest scheduled water shutdown from Jan 10 to Jan 14 will affect around 590,000 water users in the state. This is to allow for long-delayed valve replacement work at the Sungai Dua water treatment plant and repair work at several locations along the main pipeline.

Water supply is expected to resume within 48 hours in areas closest to the treatment plant, while supply in other areas may be restored 72 to 96 hours later.

On Thursday, the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers in Penang said the majority of its 500 member factories will halt operations for two days. It said some factories will work overtime ahead of and after the water cuts, adding that overtime pay will be paid to workers. - FMT