The Association of Bank Officers Peninsular Malaysia (Abom) - the national union for non-executive staff in commercial banks - is to hold a picket o­n Thursday to protest alleged discrimination against its members.

Hundreds of Abom members in five major banks headquartered in Kuala Lumpur will participate in the staggered lunch-hour picket at RHB Bank (both in Jalan Silang and Jalan Tun Razak), Allianz Bank, Eon Bank, Bank Islam and Ambank.

Members of Abom are from 14 local and Singapore-based banks.

Notice sent

Abom deputy secretary-general P Rajah, contacted yesterday, said members want to protest the "unfair salary adjustments" made by the management of Bumiputera-Commerce Bank and Maybank.

The notice of picket has been sent to the banks, while a circular has been sent to Abom members.

"Whether or not we continue next week (with the picket) will depend o­n the response from the banks after Thursday's picket. If the response is unfavourable, we will hold a nationwide picket," he said.

He said the association's collective agreement, renewed every three years between Abom and the Malayan Commercial Banks Association (MCBA), expired last December.

Negotiations had begun in October last year but soon reached a deadlock over the salary adjustment issue, he added.

"We had initially asked for a 19% revision but later scaled it down to 12%. Our last offer was nine percent and theirs was five percent," Rajah said.

"We don't understand the logic of this, especially when there is a vast difference in the basic salary structure."

Executive level or Class 1 officers had been given a nine percent salary revision as of January.

"This is grossly unjust. How can you give someone earning a basic monthly salary of RM7,000 a higher revision compared to those earning o­nly RM1,100? I would say that it should be the other way around," he said.

Rajah also noted that BCB currently holds the chair of both the MCBA and the Association of Banks in Malaysia.

"We don't understand how, as the chair of both bodies, BCB can insist o­n such an offer," he said.