Workers ‘not retrenched but dismissed’

KOTA KINABALU: The 281 temporary and part-time workers of the Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB) were not retrenched but dismissed in accordance to Public Service Department employment requirements, said MCB chairman Datuk Marcus Mojigoh.

Mojigoh said he had called for an emergency meeting with the board members this Friday and had spoken to Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong to resolve the matter.

“My stand is still that there is no retrenchment. Our performance will be quite handicapped if we were to lose that number of workers.

“Hopefully at the meeting, the board can decide on how to settle the matter. I hope to recall the letter to include a specific paragraph that we will consider re-employment should the board financial situation improves,” he said.

Mojigoh said they initially faced financial limitations and had plans for termination of staff.

“But I said no such thing. We will look for some funding from the Ministry of Finance, which we got. But the instruction from the Public Service Department still stands, and we had to let go of those whose employment did not comply with the requirements. The management had to enforce it on the daily paid staff,” he added.

The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry will issue a press statement on the issue today.

On Monday, the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) urged MCB to ‘by hook or by crook’ let the 281 temporary and part-time employees continue their service in the government agency.

Cuepacs president Datuk Azih Muda said 282 Malaysian Bumiputera men and women from Sabah (112), Sarawak (48) and Peninsular Malaysia (122) originally received a notice of termination dated July 10, 2017 each during the Raya month.

A worker from Sabah had found greener pastures and resigned, whilst another 94 from throughout Malaysia were offered a three-month long temporary daily worker contract that pays RM54 a day, effective August 14.

But the remainder, among them serving as long as 17 years and a few are pregnant women, will simultaneously be jobless effective August 13 this year.

“This drastic dismissal illustrates either the Cocoa Board plantations will be closed, MCB is working to take in foreign workers or a privatization of the farms,” said Azih.

Yesterday, Azih disclosed that Cuepacs will meet with the Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, to discuss the retrenchment matter.

He said they would also approach Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to intervene in this matter.