About 2,000 workers from television-maker Panasonic in Shah Alam picketed outside their workplace today to protest the management's new work rules and the withdrawal of staff benefits.

"We are against the implementation of the Productive Link System (PLWS), which will be introduced by the management soon," said picket leader N Letchuman, who is a Panasonic staff.

They have expressed unhappiness and disappointment over the new rules since last year when it was first proposed.

The workers, who gathered as early as seven this morning, want the new rules scrapped and the old system retained.

The new system appraises a worker based on her or his performance. With this system, all workers will be paid according to the number of goods they produced.

"We can follow other stringent rules, but not to the extent that the management determines the price of our labour," said Letchuman, who is also industrial relations officer of the Electrical Industry Worker's Union.

The introduction of the new rules by the Japanese-owed Panasonic AVC Network Kuala Lumpur (M) Sdn Bhd have caused an uproar among the company's production workers.

Panasonic's sister companies namely Matsushita Electric Co (M) Bhd (Melcom), Matsushita Compressor and Motor Sdn Bhd (MCM) - both from Malaysia Matsushita group - are already using this 'pay for good produced' system.

According to Letchuman, the head office in Japan has given directives to all Matsushita companies to implement the new system.

All companies in the Matsushita group have been renamed Panasonic as part of the company's strategy to unify the Panasonic global brand.

Maternity uniform recycled

The workers also want staff benefits to be included in the collective agreement.

Letchuman cited the example of pregnant women staff being given maternity uniform dress in the past. Now, the uniform are being recycled among pregnant staff, he lamented.

"Staff who retired were given television sets in the past. This practice has been discarded since last year," he said.

According to Letchuman, these were among the factors why the workers and management could not come up with mutually-agreed terms on the collective agreement, which expired on March 31 last year.

"We will continue to picket until we get positive feedback from the management," he said.

Panasonic personnel and corporate affairs department manager Ng Chin Sian said the management and the Electrical Industry Worker's Union are still in the midst of negotiating terms on the long-delayed collective agreement.

"We hope to come up with a mutual agreement soon as we have been negotiating for the past 14 months," he said.

Ng explained that the company is firm on introducing the new work rules in order to survive in the global market by enhancing the company's competitiveness.

"With the aim of contributing to Malaysian society, upgrading employees' skill is important, and this is in line with Malaysian Matsushita group's common strategies," he said when met later.

Under the new rules, the workers will also not be given an annual increment but an incentive amount based on their performances every month.

Malaysian Trade Union Congress president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud who was also present to lend his support, told malaysiakini that the MTUC supports the picket based on the issues raised.

He hoped the Panasonic management would take appropriate action by not delaying on the collective agreement.