A picket by some 200 disgruntled bank employees outside the Bank Bumiputra Commerce in Kuala Lumpur today was rudely interrupted when water was poured on them from the building above, forcing them to continue inside.

The employees, who came from banks all over the city, had carried balloons and placards with slogans like 'Don't victimise us', 'Stop union-busting' and 'We want unions' at the entrance to the bank on Jalan Tun Perak.

Accompanied by representatives from the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, the picketers sang songs of workers' solidarity and beat on drums as passing motorists hooted in support while several policemen stood watch.

The picket, part of a nationwide affair, was organised by the 28,000-strong National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) to protest the abrupt termination by all commercial banks, of subscription deduction of union fees since Oct 22.

Not only did the banks ignore the appeals from NUBE members, they also defied Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn's advice to restore the facility.

It is learnt that Fong met with MCBA on Tuesday but was unable to resolve the dispute.

'Arrogant banks'

At the picket site, NUBE general secretary J Solomon said the decision by MCBA to stop the deduction was a "deliberate attempt to weaken the strength of the union when talks of a new collective agreement are in process".

"This clearly shows that the banks are arrogant and have no regard for the government's calls for social dialogue. In fact, they are advocating industrial disharmony," he said.

Solomon (photo) also stressed that "the picket is legal and is within the framework of the Industrial Relations Act, 1967".

A faction in NUBE led by Muhammad Fauzi Shamsuddin was reported in the New Straits Times on Wednesday, as charging that MTUC had initiated the picket despite prohibitions under the Trade Unions Act 1959.

MTUC secretary-general G Rajasegaran, who was also present, said the purpose of the picket was to "tell the public that banks are irresponsible".

"The employees are not asking for anything except to allow their unions to go on," he told reporters at the porch of the bank.

"We also could not see any solution from the banks or the government's side. This is an attempt to kill the union. If we don't fight this, the disease will spread," he added.

Floor smeared with black oil

Forced inside the bank 30 minutes after picketing outside, the union members continued to sing, chant slogans and waved banners, ignoring customers and employees who carried on with their usual dealings.

Efforts by the picketers to get the bank's vice president (policy control department) Nik Hassan Nik Mohd Amin, who is also MCBA president, to come out of his office to meet them, were unsuccessful.

The picket ended at 1.30pm when a union member announced that it will continue tomorrow at the same time and place.

However, before leaving the premises, the picketers had to walk past a patch of black oil smeared on the marble floor of the bank.

Although the culprit could not be ascertained, a union member alleged that a bank security guard threw two bottles of the lubricant to make it seem as though the picketers had intended to cause havoc in the bank.

"We will lodge a police report on the matter because it is not we who did this," said Kavitha, 30, a picketer.

Broken promises

Several other picketers approached were clearly displeased with the management's treatment of union members.

One of them, Aziezie Shaznaba Shahrir, 26, lamented that her employer has not been keeping to its promises.

"Where are the money, compensation, bonuses? We have not been getting them for two years.

"Where are the people who say that it is better for banks to get 'married' (merge)? Where are they now? They want us to work according to time, to upgrade our service and get more customers, but they do not give us what we deserve," she complained.

The nationwide picket will continue daily until Tuesday.