GLC workers frustrated over inaction - Malay Mail 17 January 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: Two years after handing over four resolutions to the government, the Congress of Unions in Government-Linked Companies (GLC) is frustrated that no action has been taken.

On Jan 6, 2010, the congress, which has 400,000 members, handed over the resolutions to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at his office in Putrajaya.

Its president, Mohamed Shafie B.P Mammal, said it was important for the government to consider the resolutions.

“We had a one-hour chat with Najib after presenting him the resolutions and briefing him on the reasons for them,” he told a press conference at the Tenaga Nasional Bhd Joint Employees Union headquarters yesterday.

“Our objective was to raise our frustrations on the lack of concern for the welfare of our members and our members’ feeling that they are not being offered better terms and conditions in their employment.”

The resolutions proposed:

• an extension of retirement age from 55 to 60;
• review and upgrade of the pension formula for pensioners from GLCs who opted for privatisation;
• the frequent restructuring realignment and reorganisation of GLCs; and
• the frequent changes in the chief executive officer’s (CEO) position in some GLCs.

Mohamed Shafie said the congress would send an official letter again to Najib this week, whilst also inviting him to take part in its special assembly on Feb 11 in Kuala Lumpur.

Explaining the resolutions, he said the first would contribute positively towards the nation’s progress and development.

“The government announced the retirement age in the public service sector has been revised to 60 and we urge the government to implement the same for GLCs.

“We know the government, as the majority shareholder of GLC companies, has a right to direct and the GLCs have to comply,” he said, adding they will also make an appeal to review and upgrade the pension formula for GLC staff.

“More than 400,000 existing workers and retired workers from 80 GLCs including KTMB Berhad and Tenaga Nasional Berhad are frustrated they were left out in the recent adjustment.

“Civil service pensioners receive the benefit while those who receive a very small pension were upgraded to receive a minimum level of RM720 in pension.

“The fact is we have 50,000 ex-GLC workers receiving below RM500 as pension,” Mohamed Shafie said.

He claims several thousand members receive less than RM130 — below the poverty line.

The third resolution, Mohamed Shafie said, will prevent management from making unnecessary restructuring and changes to the company business strategy.

“We are disappointed that the ideas and suggestions from long-serving staff are not accepted by the young, inexperienced managers,” he said. Mohamed Shafie noted frequent changes in CEOs in some GLCs.

“Some of the new CEOs do not care to consult the existing senior management staff but appoint their own team members to strategic positions.

“Imagine the existing staff being overlooked while the new ones are paid exorbitant salaries and given huge perks.

“The employees are burdened with new instructions and plans which look good on paper but not practical when compared to what the competition is doing,” he said, urging the government to look into it.

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Keratan Akhbar - Utusan Malaysia 18.1.2012

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Kesatuan Sekerja GLC rayu Najib semak skim persaraan dan pencen kakitangan GLC

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 Jan — Kongres Kesatuan Kesatuan Sekerja Dalam Syarikat GLC hari ini merayu kepada pentadbiran Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak agar memandang serius terhadap beberapa isu yang berkaitan dengan mereka seperti pencen dan umur persaraan bagi kakitangan GLC.

Presiden kongres berkenaan, Mohd Shafie BP Mammal berkata, pekerja-pekerja di syarikat berkaitan kerajaan,(GLC) seakan di anak tirikan oleh kerajaan dan tidak menikmati faedah dan ganjaran setimpal sepertimana rakan-rakan sejawat mereka dalam perkhidmatan awam, sedangkan suatu ketika, mereka juga pernah berkhidmat dalam kakitangan awam.

“Kami berharap kerajaan akan memberikan perhatian kepada isu pencen dan had persaraan umur kakitangan GLC, kerana terdapat sekitar 300,000 kakitangan yang hanya menerima kadar pencen sekitar RM150 ke RM200 sebulan, yang mana berada di bawah paras kemiskinan,” katanya dalam sidang media di ibu pejabat Kesatuan Pencantuman Pekerja-pekerja Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KPPPTNB) di sini.

Selain itu, Shafie (gambar) turut meminta kerajaan menyemak semula formula pencen yang diamalkan sekarang kerana menurutnya, formula berkenaan tidak pernah disemak dan itu mengakibatkan kakitangan GLC memperoleh pencen yang terlalu rendah.

“Zaman Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dahulu telah berlaku perubahan dalam sistem pencen kakitangan kerajaan dengan pencen minimum sejumlah RM720, tapi kakitangan GLC tidak menerima kenaikan yang sama, malah terlalu jauh lebih rendah,” katanya lagi.

Selain itu, kesatuan berkenaan turut memohon kepada kerajaan supaya menetapkan had umur persaraan kakitangan GLC kepada 60 tahun berbanding 55 tahun yang diamalkan kebanyakan GLC sekarang.

“Kami turut memohon kerajaan menetapkan had umur persaraan kakitangan GLC daripada 55 kepada 60 tahun, selaras dengan had umur kakitangan kerajaan ... kami minta hak kami diberikan, dan sebenarnya tidak timbul isu pekerja tidak produktif apabila mencecah umur tersebut,” katanya.

Tambah Shafie, pihaknya telah berjumpa Najib pada 6 Januari 2010 lalu dan menyerahkan memorandum berkaitan perkara tersebut, dan perdana menteri berjanji akan meneliti dan mengkaji kandungan memorandum itu, namun menurutnya, sehingga kini masih lagi tiada tindakan daripada kerajaan untuk menyelesaikan perkara itu.

“Dua tahun lalu kami ada berjumpa dengan perdana menteri dan beliau sangat bertolak ansur dan bertimbang rasa dalam perjumpaan tersebut, malah perdana menteri turut menyatakan persetujuan untuk menghadiri konvensyen GLC yang dijadualkan pada tahun itu, namun begitu, sehingga kini masih lagi belum ada jawapan berkenaan tarikh yang sesuai daripada pejabat perdana menteri,” katanya yang kesal dengan kejadian tersebut.

Sehubungan itu, Shafie menjelaskan, kesatuannya akan menghantar satu lagi surat kepada perdana menteri untuk memaklumkan berkenaan isu itu yang telah tertunggak sejak sekian lama.

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