KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 — Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) today offered to take back all 91 workers who were dismissed for joining an illegal picketing in May by signing an agreement memorandum.
KTMB chairman Datuk Nawawi Ahmad said it was to restore harmony between the employer and the workers’ union so that KTMB could forge ahead.
Among the contents of the memorandum was that workers involved in the illegal picketing apologise to KTMB over the offence and pledged not to repeat the mistake.
There will be no compensation for workers terminated during the period.
“I hope all employees involved would come forward to sign the agreement and get going with working for KTMB,” he told a media conference at KTMB headquarters here today.
All 91 KTMB employees were terminated of their services on August 18 after being found guilty of participating in an illegal picketing organised by the Railway Workers Union of Malaysia following a domestic enquiry.
On May 9, about 700 KTMB workers gathered in front of the company’s headquarters here to demand the termination of KTMB president Datuk Elias Kadir.
Meanwhile RUM president Abdul Razak Md Hassan welcomed KTMB’s gesture and thanked KTMB chairman for agreeing to take back the terminated workers.
“The union has evaluated the conditions of the memorandum, I am very happy the memorandum was not biased to one party and did not burden or bring prejudice to the workers,” he said when contacted by Bernama today. — Bernama
