We refer to the Dec 1 article in malaysiakini entitled, 'Suspended staff strike back at bank'.

We bring to your attention paragraph 15 of the article which reads: "The National Union of Bank Employees has claimed that Bumiputra Commerce Bank has refused to entertain a two-year dispute with employees over demands for more benefits in line with those received by top management".

In this regard, it stands to be corrected that NUBE is not demanding for more benefits, but are merely demanding what is rightly ours which our membership have been enjoying since 2000.

The bank has arbitrarily removed these benefits in the guise of cost-cutting in the year 2000 following its merger with Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Bhd. However, what fails to convince us is the fact that the bank's so-called cost cutting measure was only implemented against employees in the lowest income category.

Not only does the bank discriminate against the clerical/non-clerical employees in terms of benefits, the bank has also in fact victimised the said category of employees who make up our membership. The bank has arbitrarily revoked the long service award and ex-gratia payment granted to members since 1990, while the bank's top management continues to enjoy these perks. Furthermore, the bank has also embarked on unilateral transfers, uprooting members from the posts and transferring them without considering the hardships they face.

With regard to the outsourcing of banking functions as mentioned in the last paragraph of the article, not only is it a form of union busting, but it is also a breach of the Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1989. The bank has violated the relevant provisions of the Act in outsourcing its banking business and revealing confidential information of customers to their wholly-owned subsidiary, EPIC-I.

J Solomon

General Secretary

National Union of Bank Employees