Sexual harassment incident that sparks picketing at Maybank branches nationwide can be ‘a racial time bomb’

savemalaysia

Publish date: Thu, 29 Aug 2024, 10:00 PM

AN industrial discord is brewing between the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) and the Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) management with widespread “spirited picketing” having been staged at numerous branches of the bank nationwide after office hours (6pm to 7pm) since Monday (Aug 26).

Although there were numerous issues raised by the bank’s NUBE-affiliated staff, the key trigger is believed to be that of a female staff from the Maybank Bercham branch in Ipoh who was allegedly bullied, intimidated and ultimately suspended on Aug 20 for having reported incidents of sexual harassment against her.

According to NUBE general secretary J. Solomon, the said bank employee who has been “repeatedly harassed and bullied, including sexually by her male superior since 2021” had eventually lodged a police report on Aug 16, leading to the bank instructing her to attend an investigative interview on Aug 20 over her allegations.

On Aug 19, the victim responded to the bank stating that she had filed a sexual harassment report on Oct 6, 2021 to the bank yet no concrete action had been taken against the perpetrator to-date while she continued to be harassed.

The victim further stated that she had since lodged four grievance reports and wished for them to proceed accordingly with NUBE’s participation. As she did not want to bypass the grievance process, she decided to skip the investigative interview.

However, on Aug 20, the victim received a letter from the bank stating that her refusal to attend the investigative interview was “tantamount to acts of insubordination and willful defiance of authorities”.

Following this, the bank suspended her until further notice by barring her from entering the work premises without prior permission from her superiors. Additionally, she would be placed on half pay for the first two weeks after which she would be reinstated to full pay.

While both the aggrieved and her employer are still unable to find an amicable solution to her sexual harassment claim, quadrilingual pamphlets were being distributed to customers at the Maybank Bercham branch which exposed the so-called “sexual predator” as a Malay man while the victim “is a young Chinese NUBE member”.

This is in addition to having publicly shaming him via a banner displayed at certain branches of the bank while the picketing is taking place.

It is therefore feared that what is seemingly an internal matter can potentially explode into a racial issue given not only are screenshots of the said yellow-coloured pamphlets in Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil languages would have far outreach on social media, some devious quarters could politicise the said incident to proliferate racial tension.

It goes without saying that the ball is now in the court of NUBE and the Maybank management to seek an amicable solution swiftly given there is a host of other grouses to be resolved between both parties:

“Why are we picketing? Because we refuse to stay silent while Maybank continues its union-busting tactics and mistreatment of workers! Maybank has failed to protect workers’ rights, and even worse, they continue to ignore legitimate grievances raised by those who have been wronged. NUBE will not stop fighting until justice is served! ”

If this cannot be achieved, then perhaps central bank Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) or the Industrial Relations Department may have to step in with their mitigating role. – Aug 29, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/sexual-harassment-incident-that-sparks-picketing-at-maybank-branches-nationwide-can-be-a-racism-time-bomb/

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2024-08-29

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