Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn said today his ministry has not received any reports of foreign workers being mistreated and insisted that Malaysian laws do not permit discrimination of these workers.

"Our laws require the same treatment for all workers," he told reporters after opening the 'Risk-Based Inspection' seminar organised by the Occupational Safety and Health Department in Subang.

Fong was reacting to a Bangkok Post report yesterday which highlighted the alleged hardships faced by seven Thai workers in Malaysia.

The daily said the seven were among a group of 13 Thai workers who trekked through the dense jungle to return home in order to escape the cruel treatment by their employers.

However, six of them were arrested by Malaysian authorities before they reached the border.

The Post said the workers, mostly employed as farm hands, were paid less than agreed and their employers had seized their passports to prevent them from escaping.

The report also saw Thai opposition leader Ong-art Klampaiboon urging the country's Labour Ministry to launch an inquiry.

Although he maintained that "such things" do not occur in Malaysia, Fong promised to look into the matter.

"Now that it is highlighted in the international press, I will take it very seriously," added the minister.

Banks-union dispute

In an unrelated matter, Fong remained optimistic that the tiff between commercial banks and the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) would come to an end soon.

He said this is because both the rival factions in the union were willing to support the ministry's proposal.

"Both sides have agreed to give everything in writing," he said.

The 28,000-strong union is plagued by a leadership tussle which the banks said was the reason why they ceased deducting their employees' salaries for union subscription since October. This led to a dispute between the two.

Employees will loose their union membership if they fail to pay their fees for three consecutive months.

Since the dispute erupted, NUBE leaders and members have staged numerous pickets calling on the banks to resume the deduction also known as 'check off'.

Two weeks ago, Fong said he has devised a "special formula" which could resolve the crisis.

Last Friday, he announced the banks represented by the Malayan Commercial Banks Association (MCBA) and the union reached an amicable solution after MCBA agreed to set up a 'special account' for the salary deduction.

However, the association wanted both factions in the union to sign an agreement to support the ministry's proposal before the 'check off' facility was resumed.

MCBA comprises the Alliance Bank, Maybank, Bumiputra Commerce, Hong Leong Bank, Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC), Affin Bank, Public Bank, RHB Bank and Standard Chartered.

Outstanding details

Contacted later, NUBE general-secretary J Solomon said he had discussed the matter with the minister.

The union leader however remained tightlipped about the outcome of the meeting but indicated that the matter will be resolved by this week after some outstanding details are ironed out.

NUBE plunged into a crisis following its first election in July which saw former office bearers challenging the outcome and subsequently seeking legal redress.

Earlier, MCBA stated that it was threatened with legal action by the rival faction if the banks continued to provide the 'check off' facility.