The National Union of Banking Employees (NUBE) has plans to submit a memorandum to the inspector general of police and lodge a formal complaint with Suhakam on what they claim was blatant police intimidation in a trade dispute with banking giant, Maybank.

The union accused the police of taking "unprecedented" action since April this year by interfering in a prolonged stand-off between Maybank and its employees over alleged non-payment of performance bonuses .

NUBE general secretary J Solomon said the police had on several occasions summoned union members to record their statements over the dispute, with at least one unionist subjected that treatment three times by a senior investigating officer.

NONESolomon (left) said officers from the Bukit Aman commercial crime unit also seized his computer from the union office and also volumes of documents compiled by NUBE in relation to the trade dispute.

Police into making laws, charge

However, NUBE stressed that the "final straw" was the strong police presence during a picket scheduled to take place at Maybank Mont Kiara yesterday morning, where Jalan Travers police chief Edmund Wong allegedly insisted that they produce a permit before being allowed to go ahead with the picket.

"Without the permit, he said, he would arrest anyone assembling in a group of more than five," Solomon said in a statement, claiming further that over 50 uniformed and plain-cloth police officers and several police trucks, patrol cars and a Black Maria were stationed at the picket site.

Solomon said as a union, they have every right to hold pickets without the need for permits, as provided for under the Industrial Act 1967.

Quoting Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) president Khalid Atan, he stressed that police intervention is not necessary so long as a picket is held peacefully.

"We condemn the actions of the police. They are making new laws in the country, interfering in a trade dispute between an employer and employee and using their powers to intimidate workers who voice their dissatisfaction.


"This is a flagrant violation of basic human and trade union rights. It (is) the first time such blatant display of authority is shown by the police in a trade dispute."