The National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) has directed its members in more than 200 branches of the Bumiputra-Commerce Bank Bhd (BCB) to wear protest badges beginning tomorrow.

The protest action, following BCB's refusal to make ex-gratia payments for union members from the clerical and non-clerical category, involves some 6,000 NUBE members in the bank.

Last Friday, NUBE general secretary J Solomon issued an ultimatum to BCB to convey the board's final decision on the matter to the Industrial Relations Department in Putrajaya by 5pm today, failing which the union "will proceed to take whatever trade union action" deemed necessary.

The NUBE has been firm in saying that the discontinuance of the ex-gratia payment to members is tantamount to discrimination as the bank continues to make payments to the executives and higher categories of staff.

The ex-gratia payment for the lower-income bank staff has also been a long-standing practice under the pre-merger Bank of Commerce (BOC) management.

No retreat

When contacted this evening, Solomon said the bank's refusal to make the ex-gratia payments was conveyed to the union by Industrial Relations director Md Hairi Md Salleh today.

"We are proceeding with the protest action as we had given the bank sufficient time and consideration, after which they have replied unfavourably.

"Until two years ago, the management of the former BOC and BCB had made the payments to all staff regardless of category," he said, adding that the NUBE national exco had endorsed the protest action on Feb 6.

However, there was a last-minute attempt by the IRD director at about 6pm, an hour after the ultimatum expired, to ask the NUBE to call off the protest action but Solomon stood his ground and issued the directive for the branches to proceed.

Last Thursday, the NUBE and BCB had met for the second time at a meeting in Putrajaya convened by the IRD but nothing was concluded. The first meeting on Feb 18 over several outstanding issues also failed to bear fruit, though it was described as "cordial" by Solomon.

Solomon said the protest badges will be worn, and followed with other forms of actions, until the union gets a positive answer from BCB.