Suhakam rebuffs all accusations by staff on picket threat

Summary

• Suhakam secretary Altaf Deviyati will investigate events that led a long-serving employee to feel the need to picket outside its premises but is more concerned with public backlash.

• Veteran trade unionist Gopal Kishnam says only unions with formal recognition from the employer can carry out a picket on labour disputes.

• Although it’s unclear if Cuepacs can represent workers of a statutory body, it has asked Suhakam and the Prime Minister’s Department to provide a platform for quick negotiations to resolve the issues.

Suhakam secretary Altaf Deviyati is investigating why a long-serving employee felt the need to call for a picket this morning outside its premises.

However, she is more concerned about public backlash and ridicule which could undermine the credibility of the country’s human rights commission.

“We are investigating the matter as the accusations are baseless and never came to my table.

“We are already facing public backlash from this. I am concerned about how some groups are already ridiculing (Suhakam).

“I empathise that my officers will have to go to the ground and do their work and get ridiculed but at the same time we are measured in our approach because these are rights of people and we know we have to be the bigger person,” she said.

With a mix of frustration, empathy and strategic caution in navigating the internal and external challenges the organisation will face, Altaf (above) said the issue was not limited to whether employees could organise but reflected on all the human rights work they were doing.

“That’s why I am really sad about it,” she said.

‘Picketing was my idea’

This morning, Elza Nadiah Shaik Sulaiman who had worked with Suhakam for 13 years, told Malaysiakini she postponed the planned picket after Cuepacs president Adnan Mat assured her he would step in to address the workers’ concerns with management.

“Postponed, not cancelled,” she said, about the planned picket.

Elza sent out emails to her colleagues on Wednesday informing them of the planned picket and spoke to Malaysiakini about her grievances involving unclear salary increments for deputy secretaries, a different performance evaluation system, and exclusion from the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA).

In a statement today, Adnan called on the Prime Minister’s Department to provide an open platform for negotiations to take place promptly, to prevent issues from persisting without resolution.

However, he has not responded to Malaysiakini’s query on whether Cuepacs, which represents employees in the civil service, can also represent staff from an independent statutory body like Suhakam, which is not a government agency.

Later, industrial relations officers told Elza that she needed to have a registered union before organising a picket.

“I am new to trade unionism and was unfamiliar with the rules behind organising a picket.

“I didn’t consider organising a protest,” she said, adding that the two were just words and did not understand the difference.

Elza, the sole member and pro-tem committee president of the union she was forming, said she was not influenced or advised by anyone to organise the picket.

Veteran trade unionist and past secretary-general of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, Gopal Kishnam said he would support any picket action related to trade disputes, but emphasised that the union must have official recognition from the employers.

Disciplinary action not ruled out

Elza’s concerns about disciplinary action for speaking to the media this morning, without prior consent may be valid as Altaf has not ruled out such action.

However, no conclusion will be made unless it is found that Elza violated any policies, and if the organisation’s human resources division decides to take disciplinary action.

“I am not against picketing and Suhakam has always supported it. However, we are an organisation governed by rules and procedures, which must be respected.

“I will not interfere if it is found that Elza has violated anything and human resources wants to take disciplinary action.

“I still don’t know what her grievances are,” she said.

Altaf also expressed surprise that no one joined Elza for the picket, as Suhakam employees are brave and highly knowledgeable about their rights.

‘Without raising top, bottom cannot progress’

On Elza’s unclear salary increment for deputy secretaries, Altaf said: “From the start, we explained that moving the chief secretaries to grade 54 was necessary to advance the chief assistant secretaries to grade 52, though not everyone was happy.

“Not all opposed the move, but without raising the top, the bottom cannot progress,” she explained.

Altaf said the main complaint was about some individuals’ capabilities, which could be addressed through the 360 process, where employees are reviewed by both their managers and peers.

“But this (issues raised behind the planned picket) sends a dangerous and misleading message, as though deputy secretaries are getting special increments.

“It’s not an increment. It’s an adjustment as part of the restructuring process,” she said, adding that memos and town halls had been held to explain the changes.

When it was their turn for salary adjustments, payments would be backdated and issued accordingly.

Staffers aware of upcoming SSPA briefing

On Elza’s concerns over staff exclusion from the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA), Altaf said everyone was aware of a planned briefing by officers from the prime minister’s department on Jan 21.

“The SSPA is not mandatory for all commissions, and we need to review it.

“A memo was sent out about the briefing, but some aspects raise human rights concerns, such as the compulsory vaccine requirement for government servants.

“After the briefing, we will decide whether to fully adopt the SSPA, partially implement it, or adjust salaries accordingly, but we still need government approval for the budget,” Altaf explained.

Altaf said Elza would have received the memo about the briefing on Jan 21 as it was sent out to everyone.

“Afterward, proposals will be made, and consultations will take place with the official employee association, which Elza is also a member of,” she said.

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