About 100 unionised staff of leading Malay-language newspaper, Utusan Malaysia , held an hour-long picket during lunch hour outside the daily's corporate headquarters off Jalan Chan Sow Lin in Kuala Lumpur today.

The staff, members of the 300-strong National Union of Journalists-Utusan Melayu (NUJ-UM) branch, want their management to immediately sign their collective agreement (CA) following protracted negotiations for over two years.

The previous CA between Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd and the NUJ-UM expired in July 2002 and negotiations have since remained in a deadlock.

Met at the picket, branch chairperson Norila Mohd Daud said: "We will fight this to the end." She added that members have not decided whether to continue the picket tomorrow. "It will depend on the management's response after today."

The picketers shouted slogans and held up placards drawing an enthusiastic response from passing motorists.

Slogans on the placards includes ' Pengurusan menipu ' (Management cheats), ' Jangan Rampas Hak Pekerja !' (Don't snatch away workers' rights), ' Majikan hisap darah perkerja " (Employer sucking workers' blood) and ' Pecat pengurusan pencuri ' (Sack deceitful management).

Utusan Melayu Human Resources manager, Hasan Sahlan, was unavailable for comments.

Salary adjustment

Norila said one of their four main demands was to maintain a gratuity scheme which has been in place for about 20 years. The union, she said, had rejected the management's proposal to convert the scheme to an extra five percent contribution to the Employees Provided Fund.

NUJ-UM vice-chairperson Hayat Sueet explained that based on the existing formula, a journalist with a degree would lose about RM70,000 after 20 years of service if the gratuity scheme is converted to the EPF contribution option.

"And newcomers would stand to lose a few hundred thousand after 30 years of service."

Members, he said, have asked for a 15 percent salary adjustment for all at the start of every grade and a RM100 raise in the current transport allowance of RM450.

Hayat, who is the NUJ national treasurer, said a proposal to cap existing medical and hospitalisation benefits had been rejected.

Utusan Malaysia has a daily circulation of over 280,000 copies.

Norila claimed that Utusan Melayu executive chairperson Mohamed Hashim Ahmad Makaruddin had clearly indicated in the past that the union should pursue the matter in court.

Norila, who is national NUJ president, said members would be on the losing end if the matter goes to court.

"Whatever it is, we want the gratuity scheme to be retained. The management is opposed to it due to the financial implications, but what we don't understand is why has this become an issue only now?" she asked.

"In fact, he just got a brand-new BMW. Whose money do you think was used?"

Mohamed Hashim could not be reached for comments.

'Management arrogant'

Earlier this month, the management was served a seven-day notice by the union branch to sign the CA without further delay.

"However, they decided to involve the Industrial Relations Department (IRD) who called us up on Tuesday. The management then promised to discuss and decide on our demands, asking us to postpone the picket that was initially scheduled for two days beginning yesterday," said Norila.

"Yesterday, however, we discovered that the management was incredibly insincere. It's lack of seriousness was obvious when it sent a representative to the IRD office to read out a written excuse with a request for a one-week extension."

The NUJ-UM is insisting that all CA clauses that were agreed and signed on March 3 - except for those still being contended until the declared deadlock on Aug 11 - should remain valid.

"Today's picket is to show our displeasure over the management's arrogance and its disrespect towards the rights of workers which in turn has created industrial disharmony," Norila added.

In May, Utusan Melayu announced plans for a new RM60 million printing plant in Penang and an additional printing tower within the Klang Valley. Both reportedly are be funded through bank borrowings.

The giant publishing company has existing printing plants in Johor and Terengganu. It posted a 3.7 percent increase in revenue totalling RM347.5 million for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2003.