Although a shadow of a mainstream affair these days, the upcoming Malaysian Trade Union Congress polls on Dec 22 is,  nevertheless ,plagued by heavy politicking.

Having won a tough battle against PKR's most senior unionist Syed Shahir Mohamud in the last polls in 2011, defending president Khalid Atan is now at the heart of a potentially damaging smear campaign.

The campaign is over an eight-year-old Industrial Court award, favouring 520 workers, who were dismissed from a timber company in Sabah.

NONEAccording to court documents sighted by Malaysiakini, the workers, including Sabah Timber Employee Union chairperson Nalong Anak Engkas @ Nordin Abdullah, were to be paid RM1.225 million.

The court stated that Khalid (left) and his MTUC colleague A Sivanathan are "solely responsible to ensure that the settlement sum are apportioned and distributed to the claimants".

But those campaigning against Khalid, who is also from the Timber Employees Union, claim part of the cash never made it to the workers, and the MTUC president had something to do with it.

Part of their claim seems to check out.

In 2011, two Sabah Timber Employee Union officials, including Nalong, were given an imprisonment and whipping sentence when they pleaded guilty to misappropriating RM534,700.

Revived allegations

However, Khalid said this had nothing to do with him.

Interestingly, he said, this matter was also raised in the 2011 MTUC polls, when he went head to head and defeated double-term president and then Kelana Jaya PKR chief Syed Shahir.

"I was not called (by police or the court) and was not involved (in the swindling). I did not take a single sen from the workers. God knows that and I leave it all to God," Khalid said when contacted.

He said that while it is true he represented the workers in the dispute, he did it for free and his flights to Sabah from Kuala Lumpur were paid for by an international federation of unions, the Building and Wood Workers' International.

Khalid said the funds were paid in instalments in post-dated cheques in the name of the Sabah Timber Employee Unions, and that he had no knowledge of any fiddling  until the duo was charged.

He added that he had even explained the matter to MTUC when it was raised in 2011, and judging by the results of the election, one would assume that it was accepted.

PKR vs others again?

In 2011, Khalid and his running mate Abdul Halim Mansor came up tops against PKR duo Syed Shahir and Kuala Langat MP Abdullah Sani Abdul Halim for the two most powerful posts in MUTC - the president and secretary-general.

Seen as a litmus test for PKR's influence within unions, the defeat of the PKR men did not bode well for opposition parties then.

Judging by the nominations which closed on Nov 1, the MTUC  poll for the top posts will be a crowded race except for the president's  office.

While other positions, including secretary-general, may see multi-corner fights, only Malaysia Airlines System Employees Union chief Alias Aziz is nominated against Khalid.

Abdullah Sani, who is from the Club Employees Union, has garnered 15 nominations for deputy president and has announced his candidacy.

But whether it will be yet another round of PKR versus others will only be known when the finaf list of candidates is announced on Dec 20.