Malaysian Trade Union Congress general-secretary G. Rajasekaran, who landed himself in trouble after stepping into the congress top leadership crisis to save its credibilty, has received the backing of four trade unions.

The New Straits Times today reported that Rajasekaran who has been threatened with a motion of no-confidence from five trade unions is now backed by the Electrical Industries Workers' Union, Petroleum and Chemical Employees Union, Timber Employees' Union and Non-Metallic Mineral Products Manufacturing Employees' Union.

Rajasekaran has been accused of siding with MTUC deputy president Mohamed Shafie Mammal, in his dispute with his president, Senator Zainal Rampak, after the latter refused to give up his number one post despite an earlier agreement to do so.

The DAP-turn-Umno member who has been leading MTUC for 18 years had promised Mohamed Shafie that he would hand over the leadership to him by Dec 31, 2002, as a condition that the latter did not contest the congress' triennial election last year.