IT is disheartening as well as disturbing to read about the ongoing dispute between the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.

What irks me the most is Sim’s failure to invite NUBE to sit down with him and sort out the matter amicably.

As a former bank employee, I feel what my former colleagues are going through. Though the festive aid they are fighting may appear to be a small sum, it goes a long way for many of them.

NUBE represents the interests of 25,000 bank employees and their families.

My question is, why is Sim taking such an arrogant approach to this at the cost of losing thousands of votes?

I was also disturbed that the banks, which reap in millions in profit every year, does not even have the decency to provide their Muslim staff with a prayer room.

It was shocking to learn that some Muslims had to perform their prayers in storerooms while others appeared to be praying in a room that was stocked with what looked like chemicals.

This all boils down to greed. The banks are only interested in profits and do not care about their staff.

As a seasoned bank worker, I must agree with NUBE that customers often return to a bank mainly because of good service. If a customer receives poor service, he or she will simply move on to another bank. 

Therefore, I urge Sim to step down from wherever he thinks he is and meet with the NUBE representatives before the matter gets out of hand. – April 23, 2024.

* Nik Imran Nik Hussein reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.