The National Union of Private Higher Educational Institute of Learning (Nupheil) today claimed the recent dismissal of three of its members from a private college in Petaling Jaya has affected its recruitment drive.

Nupheil president S Sathiavathy said the teaching staff members at private colleges were more "cautious" of signing up with the union since the incident.

The union which was registered in November last year has a membership of about 30.

Sathiavathy said Nupheil has been unable to sign up new members despite visits to colleges to recruit members.

"We want to tell people what the union can do for them, that there is solidarity within people in the same profession," she told malaysiakini .

"We are trying to get rid of this image that we are confrontational. We are not because we were set up to collaborate with the management," she added.

Stamford College fired Sathiavathy along with two other lecturers, Norbaizura Naim and Lim Gaik Hong in July for alleged "gross misconduct" by staging a walkout during a management meeting in May.

The trio who have served between seven to 10 years with the college alleged that they were given the sack because of their union activities.

On-line work

They claimed they were given the boot over compensation for the extra workload for an e-learning programme that the college had wanted to launch. The college had asked lecturers to submit their lectures on-line.

The embattled lecturers were among a group of lecturers who had asked the management about intellectual property rights for the online notes and remunerations for the extra workload at the meeting with the management.

They alleged that the management, instead of addressing their concerns, asked them to leave the meeting and later charged them for 'staging a walkout'.

Stamford College denied dismissing the lecturers for their union activities and claimed that it was merely taking disciplinary action against the three.

In a press statement issued yesterday, Nupheil said it was aware of other types of victimisation in the private college as well as other wrongdoings.

"We wish to represent the victims and right the wrongs through proper channels. It is in this regard that Nupheil continues its membership drive," the union said in the statement.

Not encouraged

When contacted, the management of several private colleges were lukewarm to the idea of its staff joining the national union.

Petaling Jaya INTI College human resource manager Edmund Chang said he could understand why Nupheil found it difficult to recruit members.

"I do not wish to comment much on this but I expect that lecturers will face problems with the management in this regard," he told malaysiakini .

A human resource officer at the same college, who declined to be named, said although there was no policy against setting up of a union, the management does not encourage it.

Other colleges, however, such as the Petaling Jaya Sunway College, allow an in-house union to represent its teaching staff.

"Our lecturers are represented by the college's academic staff association. They have a president and committee members who liaise closely with the management," said the public relations head Jerrine Kaw.

"Perphaps that is why there is no need to join the national union. Maybe they are all satisfied and have no complaints against the management," she added.