Staff at the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation are getting ready for war. Their battle fatigue is simple: black garbage bags atop their shirts, headbands proclaiming "We Fight for Justice", and badges declaring "British HSBC Bank Exploits Malaysians".

For the past two months, they have donned this new outfit to protest against the dismissal of 15 co-workers.

"We want justice and the reinstatement of the 15 employees," said Ishak Mohammad Ishtiaq, chairman of the National Union of Bank Employees (Nube) at the HSBC branch in Petaling Jaya, New Town Centre.

"They were sacked because they refused to go out and deliver the bank's platinum cards to the customers. As customer service representatives, this particular delivery duty was not part of their job functions," he said.

Ishak added that the 15 had complained to the union and were dismissed while negotiations were being conducted between Nube and the management of HSBC.

According to Ishak, those participating in the protest had been harassed and threatened by the management through show cause letters, a proposed retraction of their medical benefits and the deferment of yearly salary increments.

Nube secretary-general G. Gopala Krishnan told malaysiakini that 1,600 staff in all the HSBC bank branches would up the ante by going on strike on Jan 3.

"For the first time in the history of the union, a strike ballot was taken and 80 per cent of the members have voted in favour of the strike," he said.

Gopala added that the management of the bank has now offered the Voluntary Separation Scheme to the sacked employees, but the union had rejected the offer.

"The bank is adamant in not reinstating the 15 employees," he said. Gopala added that the members would continue the strike until the bank agrees to their demands regarding the reinstatement of the employees.

"All bank staff will stop work between 10 am to 11 am and 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm on all working days from the day of the strike," he said.

He added that the Director General of Industrial Relations had been informed about the strike. However, Gopala expressed hope that the bank would come to its senses and avoid the strike action.

"The strike will pose serious consequences for the bank and its customers, especially with the Y2K problem at hand," he said.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Trade Union Congress, which Nube is a member, has vowed to support the strike.

"I support the action to protect their interests," said Zainal Rampak, president of MTUC. According to him, HSBC had committed an offence which directly violates the Employment Act.

"The bank has taken a hardline on the issue. As a multinational corporation and one of the largest banks in the world, it has unfairly practised double standards," he said. "HSBC had failed to conduct a domestic inquiry before the dismissals."

Zainal called on the newly appointed Minister of Human Resources, Fong Chan Onn, to intervene in this issue. The HSBC management was not available to comment on the issue.