Angry bank employees will resume picketing tomorrow after a three-day hiatus given that the Malaysian Commercial Banks Association (MCBA) a group representing nine banks in the country has failed to heed Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn's advice.

National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) honourary general-secretary J Solomon said today he was disappointed with MCBA's reply this evening because it did not indicate that the banks were serious about resolving their dispute.

"We received a two-line letter from MCBA which tells us that they are in communication with the honourable minister with regard to the matter and nothing else," he said when contacted.

The letter was signed by the banking association's executive director S Sivagnanam.

Over the weekend, Fong had called on the association to resume the 'check off' which is an automatic deduction from monthly salary to remit union subscription fees to NUBE, as demanded by the union.

The minister also advised the union and employers to maintain industrial harmony.

MCBA is made up of Alliance Bank, Maybank, Bumiputra Commerce, Hong Leong Bank, Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, Affin Bank, Public Bank, RHB Bank and Standard Chartered.*

Arrogant defiance

In a press statement today, Malaysian Trade Union Congress secretary-general G Rajasekaran described the response from the banks as "an arrogant defiance "of the minister's appeal.

On Monday, NUBE president Abdul Jalil Abdul Hamid announced the three-day 'cooling off' period in order to allow MCBA to make a proper decision.

He had stressed that MCBA would be considered as disrespecting the minister and his ministry should it failed to heed his advice.

Abdul Jalil also warned that the 28,000-strong NUBE would retaliate harder but will keep its action "within the frame of law" if the banks were adamant in not continuing with the monthly check off.

According to him, MCBA had directed its member banks to stop the check off for the past two months. Union members will lose their membership if there are no deductions for three consecutive months.

The workers union has claimed that MCBA was conducting a 'union-busting' exercise as it wanted to rid the union's presence in commercial banks.

Meanwhile, Solomon said this evening that a series of pickets will start tomorrow. The first will be at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Corporation head office in Lebuh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur during lunch break

Last Thursday, some 200 disgruntled bank employees picketed outside the Bank Bumiputra Commerce building in Kuala Lumpur.

MCBA chairperson Nik Hassan Nik Mohamad and Sivagnanam could not be reached for comment.

* Note: The list of banks under MCBA has been corrected as of Nov 28, 2002.