NUBE meet: Why at night and on a Sunday?
Claudia TheophilusPublished: Jun 16, 2005 3:47 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
Nominations for the hotly-contested leadership of the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) open in 10 days but complaints are pouring in from branches throughout the country over alleged unconstitutionality of the polls.
Nominations for the hotly-contested leadership of the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) open in 10 days but complaints are pouring in from branches throughout the country over alleged unconstitutionality of the polls.
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.
On Monday, Director-General of Trade Union (DGTU) Mohd Zubir Mohd Basri announced the new election date and other details.
Malaysiakini received numerous calls from disgruntled members who were upset after reading the election notices placed in yesterday's New Straits Times and Berita Harian.
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.
The rule provides for the TGM to appoint scrutineers and tellers, elect the branch committee members and receive nominations for the principal office-bearers.
NUBE Penang branch secretary Santokh Singh, who is also contesting, was unhappy with the TGM being held at night.
"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.
"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.
"It is unconstitutional to hold the TGM after voting because it affects the process of appointing election scrutineers and tellers."
Poser over TGM at night
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.
"How is this possible if the TGM is held at night, when we've already cast our votes earlier that day?"
"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."
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.
"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.
"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."
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.
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.
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.
Why on a Sunday?
Mohd Zubir had announced Monday that a total of 25,521 members were eligible to vote next month.
In addition to the constitutionality issue, members were upset that the polls were being held on a Sunday and at different venues and time.
A member who requested to be known as Shah from Alliance Bank in Kuala Lumpur said Sunday itself posed a major inconvenience for members.
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.
"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.
"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.
"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."
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.
"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.
"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."
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.
Voting the right people
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.
"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.
"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.
"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."
Noting the odd schedule which sets the balloting before the TGM, Rozein was worried that unknown persons would be brought in as scrutineers.
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.
"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."
The NUBE has branches in Ipoh, Johor Baru, Alor Star, Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Kota Baru, Georgetown and Seremban.
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.
On Monday, Director-General of Trade Union (DGTU) Mohd Zubir Mohd Basri announced the new election date and other details.
Malaysiakini received numerous calls from disgruntled members who were upset after reading the election notices placed in yesterday's New Straits Times and Berita Harian. 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.
The rule provides for the TGM to appoint scrutineers and tellers, elect the branch committee members and receive nominations for the principal office-bearers.
NUBE Penang branch secretary Santokh Singh, who is also contesting, was unhappy with the TGM being held at night.
"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.
"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.
"It is unconstitutional to hold the TGM after voting because it affects the process of appointing election scrutineers and tellers."
Poser over TGM at night
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.
"How is this possible if the TGM is held at night, when we've already cast our votes earlier that day?"
"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."
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.
"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.
"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."
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.
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.
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.
Why on a Sunday?
Mohd Zubir had announced Monday that a total of 25,521 members were eligible to vote next month.
In addition to the constitutionality issue, members were upset that the polls were being held on a Sunday and at different venues and time. A member who requested to be known as Shah from Alliance Bank in Kuala Lumpur said Sunday itself posed a major inconvenience for members.
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.
"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.
"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.
"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."
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.
"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.
"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."
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.
Voting the right people
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.
"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. "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.
"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."
Noting the odd schedule which sets the balloting before the TGM, Rozein was worried that unknown persons would be brought in as scrutineers.
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.
"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."
The NUBE has branches in Ipoh, Johor Baru, Alor Star, Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Kota Baru, Georgetown and Seremban.
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