MTUC raps bully KTMB's 'sorry x 90'

The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) is vexed at Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) for its repeated attempts to humiliate and bully unionists.

MTUC secretary-general N Gopal Kishnam said KTMB president Elias Kadir's (right in photo) demand that Railwaymen's Union of Malaya president Abdul Razak Md Hassan apologise for 90 continuous days if he wanted his job back is the latest round of bullying.

"They are bullying (the union)... being a union leader, Razak has his obligation but Elias is punishing him," Gopal told Malaysiakiniwhen contacted.

Razak and more than 90 KTMB employees were sacked for participating in a picket against Elias.

They were picketing over what they said were weak leadership by Elias.

Gopal also revealed that prior to this, there was also another attempt to humiliate KTMB workers who were reinstated after being sacked for picketing against Elias.

"When KTMB reinstated the workers, they deliberately held an amnesty ceremony.

"But at that point of time, we did not make it an issue as we only wanted the workers to get their jobs back," he said.

Gopal said the incident happened sometime in September last year.

"They are humiliating the workers and now the president wants 90 consecutive apologies to further humiliate the union," he said.

He said the demand was "shocking" and "difficult to absorb".

Gopal stressed that MTUC will stand by Razak (right) and is seeking the government's intervention.

"I am going to write to the human resources minister tomorrow as well as to the prime minister who is also finance minister as KTMB is a government-linked company," he said.

He added that it was unbecoming of a government linked company to treat union leaders as such.

source: Malaysiakini