Two employees of Epson Precision Sdn Bhd, a Japanese electronics company in the Klang Valley, were dismissed allegedly due to involvement in pro-union activities at their work place.

Technical specialist Suhaimi Othman, 32, and electrical specialist Nadzri Daud, 33, claimed today they were sacked on Jan 23 because they wore union badges in the factory.

They said the badges were 'legal' as their in-house union had been approved by the Director-General of Trade Unions since Dec 12, 1999.

The two also claimed they were given show-cause letters, on Dec 7 and 9, to which they had replied, but the management was not satisfied with their explanation and dismissed them after rejecting their appeals. This was done without a domestic inquiry, they added.

Epson's human resources manager Sheikh Fauzi Ahmad, in the show-cause letter he issued, had alleged that the two not only wore union badges but circulated copies of a worker's bulletin in the factory.

The bulletin, claimed Sheikh Fauzi, had misleading information which could incite workers against the management.

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president, Senator Zainal Rampak who organised a press conference on their behalf today said, "I am all for foreign investment but not their attitude towards union members."

He said the company in question had breached section 5 of the 1967 Industrial Relations Act, Article 10 of the Federal Constitution and the International Labour Organisation's Convention 87 which guarantees freedom of association.

Picket

A letter had been submitted to Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn on May 12, asking him to intervene in the matter seeing that the government wants to encourage a better working relationship between employers and employees, Zainal said.

"I have also written to the biggest and most powerful Japanese trade union council, Rengo, and asked them to organise a campaign about this issue," said Zainal.

"If Epson is unwilling to resolve this matter, MTUC will organise a picket outside the factory very soon. I mean business," he added.

Zainal said Epson's action was meant to warn other fellow workers not to join the union and to drive the point home that the company was "very powerful" and intended to get rid of the in-house union.

"What is wrong with wearing badges? It shows unity among the workers and the presence of unions means good relations between the employer, employee and the government," he said.

Zainal said he will bring up this matter at the Dewan Negara sitting next week.

Employees right

Suhaimi and Nadzri, who used to earn RM2,100 and RM2,117 respectively, have been without jobs since January. They claimed they were dismissed without compensation.

Seven of the union's executive committee who are still employed in the company are facing daily harassment from the management to stop union activities, the two added.

Asked on the matter at another function today, Human Resources Minister Fong said he will send his officers to investigate the matter soon.

"If their claims are true, the company has done a wrong thing. It is the right of employees to organise unions," Fong said at a press conference after the ministry's post-cabinet meeting at Pusat Bandar Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

Companies that do not recognise unions that have been approved by the government do not respect the Trades Union Department, he added.