A group of union members held a protest against the National Union of Telecommunications Employees' (Nute) in front of its office in Bangsar yesterday morning, alleging that it has failed to speedily push Telekom Malaysia's (TM) management to implement the retirement age of 60.

Their spokesperson, P Pasupathy, said although the amended Minimum Retirement Age Act only comes into effect on July 1, companies are allowed to implement it early and some have already done so.

"When others have done it, why can't we do it? TNB has done it, TV3 has done it - all these companies have done it.

"All the government-linked company (GLC) (employees) have benefitted, why are we the only one left out? The whole problem started with the union," said Pasupathy at Malaysiakini's office after participating in the alleged protest of about 20 Nute members.

The former technician said he was compulsorily retired upon hitting the age of 56 this year, but would prefer to work another four years.

He said that if he and the fellow colleagues could not be reinstated, he said he hoped TM would follow Bernas' move to pay compensation to the workers, which he said should be backdated from the time the Minimum Retirement Age Act was gazetted in August last year to the date when they turn 60 years old.

The group also wants Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to intervene in the matter, and for the Nute president to resign over his complacency.

Pasupathy claimed that both the Nute and the TM's management have been silent on the issue, and no firm responses had been forthcoming.