FIVE leaders of the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) have lodged a police report against Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan for intimidation of the union, said Tan Eng Hong.

The NUBE president said the police report by the minister against the union’s secretary-general J. Solomon was an intimidation tactic to silence union leaders from raising concerns regarding the housing plight of workers, especially during the worsening Covid 19 pandemic.

“On Thursday, May 27, five NUBE Branch leaders lodged police reports stating that the effect of the police report lodged by the minister is a means to stop union leaders from questioning the minister and further achieve the objective of delaying the enforcement of Act 446,” Tan said in a statement today.

The five leaders are Penang, Kedah and Perlis branch leader Abdul Jamil Jalaludeen, who is also the national deputy president, Perak branch leader Mohammad Syukri Mustaffa, who is also the national vice-president, Kelantan and Terengganu branch leader Wan Mohd Affendi Husain, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Pahang leader Mohd Faisal Husin, who is the national vice-chairman and Tan himself, who is also the leader for Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor branch.

Saravanan lodged a police report against Solomon for alleged slander and misleading the public.

NUBE, in a statement a few weeks ago, called out the ministry for being lax in enforcing the standard for living arrangement of employees.

This comes after the Human Resource Ministry announced that the enforcement of ACt 446 governing workers’ housing standards will be postponed until the end of the year following representations from the manufacturing sector, which had asked for more time in view of the Covid-19.

Pointing to the postponement by the ministry, Tan said the Saravanan had failed to act in accordance with the Emergency Ordinance enacted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and even called him irresponsible.

“The minister failed to act in accordance with the said ordinance, which was promulgated by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong pursuant to Clause (2B) of Article 150 of the Federal Constitution upon the Yang di-Pertuan Agong being satisfied that immediate action was required to amend the Employees’ Minimum Standards of Housing, Accommodations and Amenities Act 1990.

“It is expressly stated in Clause 1(2) of this Ordinance that this Ordinance comes into operation on 26 February 2021 and Clause 2(2) states that this Act is applicable throughout Malaysia.

“The decision of the minister to postpone the enforcement of Act 446 until December 2021 defies the Ordinance promulgated by His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

“In the circumstances, instead of the Minister acting on the powers given to him under the said ordinance, in particular the new section 24BA, which empowers the Minister to compel employers under certain categories to provide suitable accommodation, his decision to postpone the enforcement of Act 446 is irresponsible and is not in accord with the office he holds,” Tan said.

The Emergency Ordinance, which became effective from February 26, among others issued an order for employers and workers’ centralised accommodation providers to provide temporary accommodation for the workers when the current one was deemed not safe or unsuitable.

Instead of complying with the said ordinance, Tan said Saravanan’s action to lodge a police report against Solomon was purely an act of intimidation, aimed at silencing the union leaders.

Solomon was last week called up by police to give a statement over the police report lodged against him. – May 29, 2021.