People's Progressive Party president M Kayveas has promised that he will seek a meeting with the management and shareholders of The Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd if the daily's 42 retrenched staff fail to get their retrenchment benefits and bonuses.

"It is definitely wrong not to pay contractual bonuses and retrenchment benefits unless the company can prove otherwise," he said.

Kayveas was addressing the retrenched staff and their supporters at a candlelight vigil outside The Sun's office in Petaling Jaya last night. Earlier, he held a two-hour meeting with company deputy chairperson VK Lingam in the latter's office.

Kayveas said Lingam had stressed that the recent retrenchments were done in accordance with labour laws and all those affected would get their retrenchment benefits and bonus payments.

He added that Lingam had told him the daily's National Union of Journalists officials were emotional during their previous meetings and were not ready to listen to the management who tried to explain the economic difficulties the company was facing.

'Friend of the press'

Kayveas, who is deputy housing and local government minister, said he would help The Sun's retrenched staff as a 'friend of the press' but would not judge which party was right or wrong.

"I am here to see how both sides can find an amicable solution to the problem," he said, adding he would seek a meeting with Lingam if the affected staff fail to get their due benefits.

Kayveas, a lawyer by training, said he would consider providing legal advice besides discussing with the daily's shareholders on what could be done.

Last night's candlelight vigil was the fourth held outside the daily's office since the 42 staff were retrenched without notice last Friday. It was attended by some 70 people comprising the retrenched staff and their supporters.

The group prepared sweet rice in a clay-pot in conjunction with the Indian harvest festival Ponggol celebration yesterday. The dessert was later served to those present.

The sudden retrenchment came as a shock as the daily's NUJ branch had agreed to put their week-long pickets on hold pending a decision by the management this week on their bonus payments.

The Sun's employees had picketed for a week, starting New Year's Eve, to demand a one-month bonus payment due to be paid by the end last month and another month's bonus in three instalments commencing February.

Union officials targeted

Malaysian Trades Union Congress secretary-general G Rajasekaran, who also turned up, told the crowd that it was wrong of The Sun's management not to notify the Labour Department one month in advance of the retrenchment.

"We are not saying that the company should not retrench the people if it is doing really badly financially, but we are unhappy with the way it was done," he said.

He added the retrenchments gave the impression that the company had targeted union officials involved in negotiations for the staff's bonus payments.

Yesterday, three officers from the Labour Department met The Sun Media Corporation executive director Frankie Tay Thiam Siew and corporate affairs manager Lim Soon over the layoffs.

However, they were told that the person handling the retrenchment exercise was on medical leave. The officers are expected to meet the management for the second time today.

Sources told malaysiakini the Labour Department officers were at first falsely informed that Tay was not on the premises. However, after being informed otherwise, they managed to speak to the executive director for about half an hour in his office.

The retrenched staff will hold their last candlelight vigil outside The Sun's office tonight.