Workers resume picket of Malaysian banks

Workers resume picket of Malaysian banks

Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur

Hundreds of bank workers resumed their noisy protest Monday
after the banks' association failed to adhere to an advice by the
government to deduct union fees from their members' salaries, a
union leader said.

The demonstrators are members of the National Union of Bank
Employees (NUBE) which is protesting the Malaysia Commercial
Banks Association's move in October to stop deductions for union
fees from their members' monthly salaries.

They picketed in front of two banks in downtown Kuala Lumpur,
slowing down traffic as cars honked in support of protesters who
blew whistles, sang songs and played hand-held drums.

Industrial demonstrations are rare in Malaysia.

Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn had last week advised
the banks to remit the subscription deductions without further
delay.

Union workers who staged protest for two days from last
Thursday stopped their action following the minister's order.

"As a gesture to the minister's intervention we stopped. But
the banks are not cooperating," NUBE general secretary Joseph
Solomon told AFP.

The action of the private sector Public Bank Monday to lock
out the workers at its headquarters building has further
infuriated union members.

"The bank closed it doors and refused to allow the workers
back after lunch. They are actually provoking us. One female
worker was pushed to the ground by security guards. We have
lodged a police report," Solomon said.

With the intervention by the police, the bank later allowed
the workers back into their office, he said.

Solomon said: "We are coming here again tomorrow (Tuesday).
Thousands of us are going to protest again. Our picket is legal
and peaceful."

NUBE, which represents 27,000 bank workers, had said it would
continue the picket daily until the deduction facility was
restored.

"By stopping deduction of monthly union dues from members'
salary, banks are denying employees their right to union
membership and union representation," NUBE said in a statement
last week.

This meant that all mechanisms to protect workers rights would
become inoperative and "banks can hire, fire, demote and transfer
employees unchallenged," it added.