The government has launched an investigation to determine if there was 'victimisation' in The Sun's recent retrenchment exercise where some 40 editorial staff lost their jobs overnight.

Human Resource Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn who said this today, also revealed that his officers were looking into whether the mass lay-offs were done contrary to proper procedures as claimed.

Fong said his ministry's officers are already in discussions with the besieged daily's employer and employees.

"We hope they will come to an understanding soon," the minister told reporters in Kangar, Perlis.

He said that any retrenchment exercise should strictly adhere to the collective agreement and other regulations that cover employment.

"The ministry's stand is that there should not be any case of victimisation or selective retrenchment in any retrenchment exercise," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Fong said his ministry would try to advise The Sun's management to seek alternate ways to resolve its claimed financial crisis without resorting to such abrupt retrenchments.

"There are other ways such as reducing overtime or working hours," he said.

Controversial story

Those affected by Friday's retrenchment exercise at The Sun claim the move was not due to 'economic reasons' or 'downsizing' but at removing the daily's National Union of Journalists (NUJ) members and those who participated in a series of pickets.

The pickets were held to protest the suspension of several editorial staff and the management's delay in paying bonuses due.

The suspensions were sparked off by a Christmas Day front-page report of a plot to kill the country's top two leaders. This report was pounced on by international news agencies and circulated worldwide.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad then lambasted the paper for 'sensationalist reporting' and on Dec 27 a front-page apology appeared in The Sun denouncing its own exclusive report.

The apology was said to be written by a non-editorial staff.

As soon as the controversy erupted, a lawyer, VK Lingam, was brought in to oversee the daily's day-to-day operations and this in turn irked the daily's journalists.

Disgruntled editorial staff then took to the streets saying they stood by the Dec 25 report and called for a stop of 'external interference' in the paper's editorial policy.

Yesterday, NUJ said it may go to court over the retrenchments which it claimed was targeted at its members.

"NUJ is taking steps to ensure that the rights and benefits of its members are protected," said its general-secretary Hong Boon How.

Since Friday, the axed staff have been holding candlelight vigils outside the eight-year-old daily's office in Petaling Jaya.