Maybank has ruled out claims by the National Union of Bank Employees (Nube) that there is mismanagement in the country’s largest commercial bank.

President and chief executive officer Abdul Wahid Omar said the allegations were unfounded and without any basis.

Contrary to the allegations by Nube, he said, Maybank would like to reiterate that it had always respected the employees’ right to choose how they wished to be represented by unions, be it in-house unions or industry unions.

“Nube is a national union that represents clerical and non-clerical employees in many but not all banks.

“There are currently three groups of employees within Maybank, being represented by three in-house unions and three industry unions,” he said in a statement today.

Wahid was responding to allegations by Nube that it had received several complaints about mismanagement in Maybank, discrimination, failure to provide printed copies of the collective agreement to employees and paying its top management a performance bonus equivalent to more than 80 months salary for the last 10 years.

Nube claimed that such practices promoted an imbalance in equity and led to a wider income gap between the top management and lower management.

Wahid said the compensation and benefits of clerical employees who are members of Nube are governed by the collective agreement which Nube negotiated with the Malayan Commercial Banks Association, a body that represents banks in Malaysia.

“Bonus payment for clerical employees is also covered in the agreement. As such, all banks represented by Nube, including Maybank, are obliged to pay this bonus.

“The quantum of the bonus is two months pay per annum as negotiated and agreed between Nube and MCBA.

“During previous CA negotiations, Nube did not agree to MCBA’s proposal for a variable bonus to be based on performance instead of a contractual quantum,” he said.

Hence, Wahid said, the variable additional bonus was not an item that Nube can now demand seeing it is over and above what was negotiated and agreed to.

Currently, a total of 4,605 (61 percent) Maybank employees in the clerical/non-clerical category are Nube members.

In-house union registered on Jan 3

However, he said, some of these employees decided to form an in-house union called Maybank Non-Executive Union (MAYNEU).

“Although MAYNEU was registered as a trade union on Jan 3, 2011, Nube has challenged this registration and is currently pending before the courts.

“Over the past months, Nube has carried out a series of actions against the bank and its employees which the bank views as improper and will take the necessary legal recourse,” he said.

Wahid also reiterated that Maybank would continue to be fully supportive of its staff and their rights and choice to be represented by unions in accordance with the relevant legal provisions and will not allow any form of improper action by any party to deter their stand in the matter.

- Bernama