The National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) has clarified that the person accused of siphoning off money from Maybank's Kepong branch is not a union member.

General secretary J Solomon said the person was mistakenly reported as a bank employee, prompting concerned bank employees to ask for the union's intervention to clear the air.

He said "extensive research by reliable sources" showed that the person was in fact a contract staff of a company to which Maybank had outsourced its online banking services.

"We wish to stress that staff of outsourced companies are under no obligation to the bank or the bank's customers as they are not bound by the Banking and Financial Institutions Act 1989," he said in a statement.

"Therefore, they would not fall under Section 97 which governs customer confidentiality."

On July 4, The Star reported the arrest of a bank customer service employee who allegedly siphoned off at least RM15,000 from 11 accounts.

The person, who started working a month ago, was identified after the management traced a transaction to her electronic banking system following a complaint. She had also allegedly transferred funds into the accounts of her boyfriend and several other friends.

Problems with outsourcing

Solomon said the number of such cases are on the rise due to the outsourcing activities in the banking sector.

"This will inevitably affect customer confidentiality besides the adverse effects on the job security of bank employees," he said.

"It can be easily deduced that customer documentation security and confidentiality are compromised."

The NUBE has consistently spoken out against outsourcing, arguing that it is being used as a union-busting tactic.

Several memoranda have been submitted to the government warning against potential abuse of human resources by banks which outsource services.

These include possible staff displacement, less favourable employment terms and conditions, and reduction of union membership.