THE National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) has called for the top management of banks to show greater appreciation for their staff who are the main arteries that ensure the overall smooth operations and success of their banks.

In making the call, NUBE reminded the management that the main reason for their growing business is the positive interactions the customers encounter daily with the bank staff.

“Bank workers are the main arteries that drive the business, profits, and wealth of banks, ensuring that operations run smoothly,” NUBE said in a statement on Tuesday (April 16).

“However, the upper management often creates the impression that bank employees’ contributions are insignificant, instead highlighting their own roles as more critical.”

NUBE said respect for bank CEOs was compromised when they failed to respond to sincere appeals from their employees to continue the 2023 Festival Aid.

“Organisations representing CEOs and senior bank management call themselves the Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM), as if they represent the banks themselves, when in fact, they only represent a handful of bank CEOs,” it remarked.

“All their dealings are handled by the Malaysian Commercial Banks Association (MCBA) to ensure their hands remain clean.”

NUBE said their “empty promises” as compassionate employers were exposed as it was later revealed that during their administration, they seem to focus only on maximising personal profits by exploiting the system.

“Recent examples include the Hari Raya Aid incident and the issue of insufficient Prayer Room space at bank branches,” it remarked.

NUBE said several employees had expressed their concern after some banks, despite their huge profits, did not provide a proper prayer room for them to pray.

The employees who provided NUBE with photographs claimed that the Prayer Rooms provided were not only inappropriate but could also be unsafe as some were actually converted storerooms, it added.

“This shows that even with significant profits, some managements are unwilling to provide adequate facilities for workers to worship with dignity or celebrate religious and cultural festivals without any financial burden,” NUBE noted.

“As a community, we need to understand and recognise the real contributions of bank workers and reject the old narrative.

“It is time bank workers are treated with respect and their hard work and dedication duly recognised by the respective management.” - April 16, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/show-greater-appreciation-for-staff-nube-tells-banks/