While giving credit to Disgruntled Teoh's views expressed in his letter ' Forget about MTUC and NUTP ', I must state that the Malaysian Trades Unions Congress (MTUC) under G Rajasekaran has stood up for workers and certain trade union principles.

Unlike the dubious stand of the MTUC president Senator Zainal Rampak, Rajasekaran's stand has always been strong, uncompromising and transparent. He has not betrayed the workers.

On the other hand, the National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) under its secretary-general, Siva Subramaniam, is a lost cause.

Even when the government, after so many decades of protracted demands for a better gratuity, finally conceded to grant an improved gratuity o­n Jan 30, 1996, Siva as president of Cuepacs and his cahoots rejected it o­n the grounds that the country could not afford it.

Then as NUTP secretary-general, he vowed to fight for better gratuity. What a double-faced workers' champion!

The government doesn't simply give away benefits to the workers without first calculating the economic impact o­n the country. o­n what grounds did Siva and his sidekicks conclude that the government could not afford to pay out this new gratuity?

Siva sits o­n the EPF Board as the workers representative and yet when the EPF declared the lowest dividends recently, he went out of his way to justify the record-low dividends. No wonder MTUC told Siva to shut up ( Malay Mail , May 3). Not o­nly that, Siva also told the MTUC to call off its proposed nationwide picket to protest against this low dividends.

You don't see Rajasekaran rushing to KLIA to send off Mahathir every time he goes o­n his numerous overseas trips. But Siva will be there. Is this the role of a union leader? Is it because he wants to impress Mahathir that here is o­ne union leader who will stick with the BN?

It may be a sheer coincidence but Siva is also due to retire in October when the PM steps down! Mahathir remembers his loyal supporters very gratefully. I wonder what is in store for Siva - a senator's post or an appointment into some huge corporate conglomerate?