GE14 | Companies should consider giving employees who are voting out of state extra days off so they can travel and exercise their democratic duty, National Union of Bank Employees (Nube) general secretary J Solomon said today.

Solomon said this should be done if the Election Commission does not change its "inconsiderate" decision to hold polls on Wednesday, May 9.

"The EC was very inconsiderate to the working population.

“If they are not changing the date, employers should allow those voting outstation to have additional off days for travel... One day before and after," he told Malaysiakini.

This is because there will likely be massive traffic jams if everyone were to leave town and vote on the same day.

He also hoped that the government would declare May 9 a public holiday.

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Time off to vote

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) said that companies are not obliged to give their workers a day off to vote.

However, its executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said workers must be given reasonable time to go and cast their ballots.

"Reasonable time between one or two hours should be given. For example, to come to work late to vote in the morning, using break time, or going home early before the polling stations close," Shamsuddin was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.

Section 25 of the Election Offences Act states that: "Every employer shall, on polling day, allow to every elector in his employ a reasonable period for voting, and no employer shall make any deduction from the pay or other remuneration of any such elector or impose upon or exact from him any penalty by reason of his absence during such period."

Any employer who does not abide by this section is liable to a fine of RM5,000 or a year’s jail.