The sacked employees of Globe Silk Store said the management had informed them of the textile company's closure but did not tell them when it would happen.

"Yes they told us the company will be closed but didn't tell us when. They told us to look for new jobs but they also said don't start work at the new place till they tell us to.

"They weren't being very clear and as we had numerous financial commitments, many of us didn't secure alternative employment," said one of the ex-employees when contacted.

The former supervisor, who declined to be named, served with the company for 22 years in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur before being terminated on May 11.

"On April 10, the management called all the staff together and told us to get jobs elsewhere but not to start work elsewhere yet. They didn't tell us when we needed to start work elsewhere. Then a month later we were all told not to come back to work the next day," added the mother of four.

She said many of the employees had not expected the company to close down.

"Sales were good. We weren't worried that the company was going to close down. The management had for a long time said they were doing all they could to ensure the company would not go into liquidation.

"They told us of how efforts - like selling of other land and property - were being taken to pump in money to the company and keep it afloat," she said, adding that the company still owed her RM3,000 in back wages.

Closed for refurbishment

However, a news report recently claimed that the company has not closed down but merely ceased operations temporarily for refurbishment work.

Quoting an anonymous official, the Malay Mail said the refurbishment work was being carried out to cater for market changes as the last refurbishing exercise was only carried out 25 years ago.

The official also claimed that the staff misunderstood the company's plans and some staff - who had staged a picket outside the store on May 14 - had voluntarily quit when told that the company was restructuring and that they could find jobs elsewhere.

He claimed that the staff were also told that unpaid salaries and backlogged Employee Provident Funds (EPFs) - since November 2004 - will be paid once the establishment completed the restructuring process.

No written notice

A former cashier however claims that this is not true.

When contacted, Mary Panver Selvam, 41, said the company never promised the staff such a thing.

"They were never direct in telling us what was going on with our job security and our salaries or even our social security payments," she said, adding that she is owed RM2,000 in wages.

Salaries over the past few months were said to have been paid in instalments of between RM100 - RM300 periodically.

She added that there was no written notice of the then-pending sacking nor a termination letter and that there was no information given to them saying that there will be a temporary closure.

"We were told various things. It was all very vague. We were told there will be a merge and also an opening of a new branch. What they did to us was very unprofessional and not right especially to loyal staff of over 20 years," said the single mother.

She also clarified that she was not the staff spokesperson but that her views were echoed by the over 60 staff made redundant.

Globe Silk Store is controlled by Kishu Tirathai. The Globe Silk Store group of companies, controlled by his family, comprises nine companies, of which, two are dormant.

The two companies being liquidated by creditors since November 2004 and March 2005 are Globe Silk Store Sdn Bhd and Tirathrai Sdn Bhd (TSB).

The group employs some 150 people. TSB has 100 employees, who are all employed at the Globe Silk Store retail outlet in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

The company has said that a plan to open an outlet in Ampang was aborted following a disagreement.

They have also lodged a police report against those who had demonstrated outside its premises on the ground of it being an illegal picket.