The country's main trade union group said today it was considering organising nationwide pickets in protest at recent fuel price rises, after staging the fourth demonstration in as many weeks.

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC), which has 750,000 members, said anger was growing over the country's biggest-ever increase on Feb 28, with workers hit by inflated costs for food and transport.

The group's president, Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud, said unionists would discuss further actions, including picketing workplaces, after the MTUC was prevented today from delivering a memorandum to the government on the issue.

"We are talking about thousands and thousands of people, it's quite a big thing, because we need serious mobilisation," Syed Shahir said of the pickets.

"One thing for sure is we are very serious in this business. This is going to affect the entire workers' population in this country," he told AFP , adding that millions of workers and their families would be involved in pickets.

The government has said it can no longer shield consumers from higher oil prices, and that the money saved from cutting fuel subsidies will be used to improve public transport.

There have been five price rises since May 2004, including the February one which saw pump prices for petrol and diesel lifted by 30 sen per litre to about RM1.90 and RM1.58 respectively.

Police abuse

Some 500 unionists, joined by opposition politicians and rights activists, gathered outside the Parliament early today to deliver a memorandum calling for the price increases to be reversed.

But police, backed by a water cannon and a contingent in riot gear, refused to allow a delegation to enter Parliament unless the protesters dispersed.

The rally then marched to the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) to hand over a copy of the memo and complain about police abuse at earlier fuel protests, including one yesterday which saw 22 people arrested and several beaten.

Activists have said they fear a return to the era of police brutality during protests during and after the trial of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, which started in 1998 when he was sacked and jailed.

Yesterday's protest: PHOTO GALLERY , 3-MINUTE VIDEO