The National Union of Bank Employees strike was postponed today partly because of wavering support from members, a union source in the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank told malaysiakini .

He added that the intervention of Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn was also a contributing reason for the decision.

The strike, which was to have been held in 26 HSBC branches nationwide today, was part of the ongoing dispute involving the dismissal of 15 customer service representatives on Oct 7 for their refusal to deliver platinum credit cards to customers' offices and residences. Nube claimed that this particular delivery duty was not part of the sacked employees' job functions.

"The strike had to be postponed because of declining support within the 1,600-strong members who are beginning to lose confidence in the three-month old dispute," said the source who declined to be named. "It is causing a lot of mental strain to the employees."

The source added, with a hint of disappointment, that the poor turnout of members at a meeting held by the union in Kuala Lumpur last Monday to discuss the strike action showed that the support from members was faltering.

"Only 20 per cent of the members turned up at the meeting in Wisma MCA," he said. The members later decided to accept Fong's call for the strike to be postponed.

"We have removed the black garbage bag outfits and headbands that we had worn for the past two months," he said. "We have, however, retained our non-cooperative attitude with the management of the bank."

Nevertheless, he vowed that union members would go on strike at the last minute if talks between Fong and the management failed to resolve the ongoing dispute after the Hari Raya celebrations.

"We are all mentally and physically prepared to strike if nothing comes out of the talks between the minister and the management," he said.

Malaysian Trade Union Congress president Senator Zainal Rampak denied that there was faltering support within Nube, which is a member union of the congress.

"We are solely abiding by the minister's call to defer the strike action while he speaks to the management in an attempt to resolve the dispute," Zainal told malaysiakini.

He pointed out that 80 per cent of Nube members had voted in favour of the strike action in December.

"There is no dwindling of support. Otherwise, the strike ballot would not have received its two-third majority," he added.

Zainal expressed doubt that Fong's intervention would resolved the dispute amicably by next week.

"I have little confidence that this dispute would be resolved unless the minister uses the 'big stick' against the employer," he said.

Zainal warned that the members would go on with the strike if the matter was not resolved after the Hari Raya celebrations. "The strike notice is valid for 45 days and the strike would go on as planned," he said.

Meanwhile Fong's press secretary Low Joo Hiap said that the Minister was trying to resolve the matter soon and is having intense discussions with both parties involved.

"The Minister will be meeting the HSBC management today and hopes to solve the matter before Raya," Low said.

The strike, should it go ahead, would be the first strike in Nube's history.