Hundreds of National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) members yesterday demonstrated against what they see as attempts by AmBank (M) Bhd to undermine their strength through the 'divide and rule' tactic of forming and promoting its own in-house union.

Picketing in front of AmBank's building in Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur, they called on the bank not to sideline NUBE and employees who are members of the union.

AmBank, said NUBE honorary general-secretary J Solomon, has to abide by the 1959 Trade Unions Act which stipulates against the formation of smaller unions within an industry when there is a union already covering the welfare and interests of employees in that same industry.

Solomon also indicted the director-general of trade unions (DGTU) as being complicit in allegedly violating the Act by having registered the in-house union.

"They did this knowing very well that it is against the Trade Unions Act. Forming a union within an industry that already has a industry-wide union catering for employees within that sector would affect disharmony among industry workers," he said when met after the picket.

A clear attempt

Solomon also alleged that the hurried manner in which the in-house union was formed before AmBank merged with AmFinance on June 1 this year and the union's registration by the DGTU was a "clear attempt to oust Nube members" from the equation.

"We had sometime earlier this year told the DGTU that what he did was wrong ... and urged him to deregister the in-house union. He, in turn, told us that once the merger takes place he will dissolve it," said Solomon.

"But sad to say, come June 1 when the merger took place, the DGTU did not honor his word. When we went back to him on the same matter, he said he refused to dissolve the union," he added.

"Both AmBank and the DG know the provisions of the Trade Unions Act, yet, they still went ahead with its registration. There is a clear conspiracy between the bank and the DGTU," claimed Solomon.

He added that Oct 26 had been fixed for NUBE, through its lawyers, to file an application in the legal courts directing the DGTU to dissolve the in-house union.

Protests to continue

Nube also called AmBank to honour its commitments as contained in the collective agreement reached in 2001 between Nube and the Malaysian Commercial Banks Association (MCBA), of which AmBank is a member, said Solomon.

AmBank, said Solomon, was ignoring the NUBE-MCBA agreement and pushing forward with a separate agreement reached with its in-house union.

This meant that important agreed-upon terms and conditions contained in the earlier negotiations, such as those pertaining to annual bonus and overtime pay, were ignored.

"We call on AmBank to recognise NUBE, the issues therein and to discuss them, and to abide by the collective agreement ... so that employees and management can have a harmonious working environment," said Solomon.

"However, if banks (such as AmBank) continue such underhand tactics, NUBE will also continue to protest future mergers and acquisitions if such exercises jeopardise the welfare and livelihood of bank employees and their families."