The National Union of Bank Employees has called upon Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn to intervene in the bitter leadership in the embattled union.

The union has criticised the "irresponsible" turnabout of director-general of trade unions Zulkifly Abdullah for refusing to call fresh elections to resolve NUBE's protracted internal feud.

"Why did it take the DGTU (Zulkifly) three months before realising he was powerless to act on something he mooted three months ago?" said NUBE president Abdul Jalil Hamid in a press statement yesterday.

According to the union, Zulkifly had insisted on new elections for NUBE on March 21 this year.