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The court-ordered election, set for Sunday, July 17, will end the four-year
power struggle to lead the beleaguered banking sector union that was once voted
the richest and best-run trade union in the country.
<p>On Monday, Director-General of Trade Union (DGTU) Mohd Zubir Mohd Basri announced
the new election date and other details.</p><BR><BR><EM><IMG height=302 hspace=5 src="images/news/4102.gif" width=272 align=right></EM>
<p><i>Malaysiakini</i> received numerous calls from disgruntled members who were upset
after reading the election notices placed in yesterday’s New Straits Times
and Berita Harian.</p>
<p>They demanded an explanation on the legitimacy of conducting the polls prior
to the triennial general meeting (TGM) in violation of Rule 12(2) of the NUBE
constitution.</p>
<p>The rule provides for the TGM to appoint scrutineers and tellers, elect the
branch committee members and receive nominations for the principal office-bearers.</p>
<p>NUBE Penang branch secretary Santokh Singh, who is also contesting, was unhappy
with the TGM being held at night.</p>
<p>“We told members to come the earliest possible in the morning. Now, they
have to hang around the whole day before they can attend the TGM at night. It
should be the other way around.</p>
<p>“As per the NUBE constitution, three election scrutineers and four tellers
must be selected during the TGM but this is no longer possible now,” he
said.</p>
<p>“It is unconstitutional to hold the TGM after voting because it affects
the process of appointing election scrutineers and tellers.”</p>
<p><b>Poser over TGM at night</b></p>
<p>Mohd Rozi Mohamad, a veteran member from EON Bank in Seremban, said the constitution
provides that election scrutineers and tellers (for vote-counting) are selected
during the TGM.</p>
<p>“How is this possible if the TGM is held at night, when we’ve already
cast our votes earlier that day?”</p>
<p>“The issue now is whether there is a possibility of the DGTU being in
contempt of court for failing to comply with the order to conduct an election
in accordance with the constitution.”</p>
<p>The former NUBE branch official, a NUBE member of 24 years, said the membership
list was also not out when he last checked at the Labour Department office in
Seremban this morning.</p>
<p>“There is no proper planning. We ordinary members have been very patient
with statements requiring eligibility to be limited to registered members prior
to the 2001 crisis,” he said.</p>
<p>“But the inconveniences caused by the DGTU’s election blueprint,
such as asking members to bring their 2001 payslip, seems to be a favourable
move which benefits one of the factions.”</p>
<p>Mohd Rozi said members also expected a smooth electoral process especially
with a bill for RM300,000 taken from the NUBE coffers. He said the NUBE branches
usually spent less than RM100,000 for the same.</p>
<p>According to the election notice in the newspapers, voting will take place
between 8am and 3pm followed by the TGM at 8pm on the same day.</p>
<p>On its homepage under the Bahasa Malaysia version, the Human Resources Ministry
posted a 626-page list of NUBE members in benefit as at Oct 29 2001, ending
at 24,952. Related notices were also posted there.</p>
<p><b>Why on a Sunday?</b></p>
<p>Mohd Zubir had announced Monday that a total of 25,521 members were eligible
to vote next month.</p>
<p>In addition to the constitutionality issue, members were upset that the polls
were being held on a Sunday and at different venues and time.</p>
<p>A member who requested to be known as Shah from Alliance Bank in Kuala Lumpur
said Sunday itself posed a major inconvenience for members.</p>
<p>He said members’ main concern was a possible lack of transparency in the
rush to complete the counting process in time for the TGM at Menara PGRM in
Cheras.</p>
<p>“For KL, the polling venue is the ministry’s industrial training
institute in Jalan Kuchai Lama, near Old Klang Road. Most members don’t
know where it is. There is also the problem of no or unreliable public transport.</p>
<p>“With about 14,000 members in our branch, I anticipate a lot of problems.
Even the general election has its own set of problems despite being months of
planning.</p>
<p>“It looks as if the DGTU is conducting this election just for the sake
of formality… just because the Court of Appeal had ordered him to.”</p>
<p>Shah’s colleague in the same bank, Hisham, said this was the first time
in the union’s history that the TGM is being held at night and on a Sunday.</p>
<p>“Are we expected to camp out at Menara PGRM? Usually TGMs drag on for
three to four hours and all of us are working the following day,” he said
during the telephone interview.</p>
<p>“I’m beginning to think that the arrangements are meant to inconvenience
us. It may also affect voter turnout which will then provide the DGTU an excuse
to blame us if something goes wrong.”</p>
<p>Hisham, a NUBE member since 1991, said women members would suffer the most
because they have to drag their children from one place to the other the whole
day.</p>
<p><b>Voting the right people</b></p>
<p>Rozein, a member in AmBank who has been with the NUBE since 1996, said the
DGTU should have briefed members on the election details and taken into account
the various problems.</p>
<p>“For example, some of our members work the Sunday banking shift and won’t
be able to take time off. Concerned members in AmBank and Alliance Bank have
been calling me the whole day.</p>
<p>“They can only go to vote if the DGTU declares July 17 as an off-day,”
she said, adding that most banks offered Sunday banking services at selected
branches.</p>
<p>“Otherwise, all those working the shift will miss the opportunity to elect
the leaders they want. This is a once-in-three-year chance and we want the right
people to be elected into office.”</p>
<p>Noting the odd schedule which sets the balloting before the TGM, Rozein was
worried that unknown persons would be brought in as scrutineers.</p>
<p>Echoing similar concerns of his fellow members, Shahrul from Maybank in Penang
said the DGTU must place members’ interests under the constitution as top
priority when conducting the election.</p>
<p>“Why is the DGTU being unreasonable and making life difficult for members
who want to vote in the leadership of their choice and end this problem once
and for all? He must ensure that the electoral process is transparent, free
and fair.”</p>
<p>The NUBE has branches in Ipoh, Johor Baru, Alor Star, Klang, Kuala Lumpur,
Kuantan, Kota Baru, Georgetown and Seremban.
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com