UTUSAN Melayu Bhd employees are being pressured to quit voluntarily so that they don’t have to be compensated, said the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).

NUJ Utusan chapter secretary Muhammad Basir Abu Bakar said that some staff members have expressed their wish to resign from the company.

He said the workers could no longer bear the burden of their debts and were looking for alternative employment.

“The company doesn’t have to pay compensation if the employees quit on their own accord,” Basir told a press conference in Brickfields today.

He said some employees had even stopped going out for assignments as they could not afford it.

“And, some have begun borrowing money from loan sharks after pawning off their jewellery. Those who are still hanging on do it out of passion for Utusan.”

Basir said NUJ members planned to picket on August 19 to urge Utusan to fulfil its promise to pay its 800 employees.

“We have not received any salary since July. 

“As for the executive staff, the company owes them two months’ in arrears after receiving only RM2,000 in June. They, too, haven’t been paid since July,” Basir said.

Meanwhile, NUJ national secretary-general Chin Sung Chew said this situation was a repeat of last year, when Utusan begun paying salaries late.

“In addition to pickets, company management can be brought to court for not paying staff salaries, but we are still giving them an opportunity to fulfil their promises.

“Anyone who wants to help Utusan staff can donate to the NUJ Utusan account (CIMB account no: 8000367100).”

Utusan released some 800 employees last December via a voluntary separation scheme as the company sought to reduce operating costs.

Since then, the group have claimed that Utusan has not been paying their compensation on time.

Utusan is now a PN17 company on the KL Stock Exchange, after failing to pay RM1.2 million to two banks. – August 9, 2019.