Hundreds of disgruntled factory workers in Wakaf Tembesu near Kuala Terengganu have been staging a peaceful roadside picket outside their workplace for the past 20 days.

The workers have been spending working hours under makeshift canopies since May 4 where they were allegedly unfairly terminated from employment by the Indonesian-owned plywood factory.

Timber Employees Union Peninsular Malaysia (KPPSM) secretary general Mohd Khalid Hassan, said that about 300 employees were also not paid their April wages.

He claimed the workers' services were terminated without accordance to employment laws, and that the picket was perfectly legal under the Industrial Relations Act.

Thus far, the police have been keeping vigil over the group who picket between 8am to 4.30pm daily, except on Fridays.

However, eye witnesses told malaysiakini that light strike force personnel in riot gear were stationed within the factory compound early yesterday morning.

Ministry to act

The police had apparently received intelligence that the group, comprising mostly women, were going to storm the factory.

The crux of the controversy seems to be over the factory's employment of foreign workers, which Khalid claimed, were paid much more than their local counterparts.

"The company claims they have no money (thus unable to pay the workers), yet they are keeping the foreigners. They should be the first to go," said Khalid when met near the factory last week.

Compounding matters further was the company's alleged refusal to negotiate a new collective agreement which expired last year, aggravating tensions leading to the mass lay-offs, said Khalid.

Malay tabloid Harian Metro reported on Sunday that the deputy human resource minister has formed a special committee to look into the matter, and has sent three officers to investigate the worker's allegations.

The daily also said that the state government's second negotiation attempt with the company has been futile.

It is however rumoured that the company might pay the worker's April wages tomorrow.