Amidst controversy surrounding the Festival Aid payment, which the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) claimed was initially promised to its members by the top management of the banks but later revoked unilaterally, tensions have resurfaced between the banks' top management and NUBE. This time, the issue revolves around inadequate prayer spaces within the banks.
Earlier in the month, NUBE had slammed Human Resources Minister Steven Sim’s for discussing the matter of a one-off festivity bonus secretively with the top management of the banks without representation of the banking workers as being against an International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention. The union said the meeting with the Malayan Commercial Banks’ Association (MCBA) was a “gross violation of ILO rules” because Sim can be seen as siding with the top management of the banks while negotiations are ongoing.
Today ( April 16), the union is again slamming the top management of the banks for their dismissive and contemptuous attitude towards banking working in regards to the provision of prayer spaces.
In a Facebook post titled “LOSS IN SAFE AND DECENT SURAU BUT PROFIT IN BILLIONS,” Deputy President of NUBE, Abdul Jamil Jalaludeen, has revealed a series of pictures taken by banking workers that proves that Muslim employees in several bank branches are forced to to pray in such places like store rooms, rooms used to house electrical panels, rooms used to house fire and safety equipment, rooms used to store chemical products as well as exit corridors.
In a statement reported by The Sun, NUBE said several of its members had recently expressed their concern that some banks, despite their huge profits, did not provide a proper prayer room for them to pray.
“The employees claimed that the prayer rooms provided were not only inappropriate but could also be unsafe as some were actually converted storerooms.
“This shows that even with significant profits, some managements are unwilling to provide adequate facilities for workers to worship with dignity or celebrate religious and cultural festivals without any financial burden," the statement said.
In article in Malay Mail today (16 April), National Union of Bank Employees (Nube) has said that the top management's claim about being " compassionate employers" were nothing more than "empty promises", before accusing the top management of the banks of focusing solely “on maximizing personal profits by exploiting the system”.
NUBE also urged the top management to show greater appreciation towards their staff, calling them “the main arteries” that ensure the overall smooth operations and success of their banks.
It said the main reason for the banks’ growing business is the positive interactions the customers encounter daily with the bank staff.
“Bank workers are the main arteries that drive the business, profits, and wealth of banks, ensuring that operations run smoothly,” NUBE said.
“However, the upper management often creates the impression that bank employees’ contributions are insignificant, instead highlighting their own roles as more critical.”
In a Vibes report, NUBE has also said that "As a community, we need to understand and recognize the real contributions of bank workers and reject the old narrative.
"It is time bank workers are treated with respect and their hard work and dedication duly recognized by the respective management.”
Nehru Sathiamoorthy is the author of “While Waiting for the World to end”. He was a columnist at FMT and a frequent contributor to the South China Morning Post, The Star, Malaysia-Today, MalaysiaNow, MalaysiaKini and Focus Malaysia.
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