The Railwaymen's Union of Malaya (KPPKTMB) is threatening to launch its biggest protest in 40 years after a breakdown in negotiations with national railway company KTM Bhd.

Union president Abdul Razak Md Hassan said they decided to hold a large-scale picket after the joint central committee of KTMB senior management and union representatives failed to reach a consensus on four outstanding issues at a June 2 meeting.

NONE He warned that their 3,600 members will launch the picket, and if that fails, a ‘work to rule' protest, should the KTMB management refuse to budge from their position.

Abdul Razak however declined to reveal when and where the picket will be held, saying it will be announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

"All I can say for now is that we will have it as soon as possible. If the picket doesn't work, we will start a ‘work to rule' protest," he said, when contacted.

The last time KTMB faced a major strike was in 1962, when some 9,000 workers went on a 22-day protest demanding a monthly salary over daily wages.

In a statement faxed to the media, the union is demanding to know the reasons why KTMB went on to set up a new subsidiary, ETS Sdn Bhd, late last year to manage their electric train sets despite strong opposition by the union.

  Objection letter

The union had last December sent a letter objecting to the formation of the subsidiary, stressing that there was no need for it as the five ETS units could be managed either by a new department or a new strategic business unit directly under KTMB.

"This will not only save administration costs but also increase KTMB's revenue," the union had said in an earlier statement.

NONE The union claimed that the letter was also forwarded to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak ( right ) and members of parliament.

The union is also seeking a definitive answer on the proposed relocation of the KTMB headquarters out of the iconic Kuala Lumpur train station.

Two other issues were raised:

- The failure to have an open debate after KTMB president Aminuddin Adnan allegedly called the union backwards looking; and

- The failure by Aminuddin to show any progress after 10 months at the helm of KTMB.