NUTEAIW is calling on EPF to withdraw its investment in the company unless five employees are reinstated with full compensation.

FMT is withholding the name of the company pending a response.

The protest was attended by 15 union members, including one of the victims. It ended with them handing over a memorandum to EPF representatives.

In their memorandum, the union claimed the employees were terminated in 2016 after participating in a “peaceful briefing” outside working hours, off the company premises. It was attended by 110 union members.

They also alleged the company violated Malaysian labour laws and EPF’s workers’ wellbeing policy in their dismissals, with five members still unemployed.

EPF’s policy includes a clause on freedom of association. This upholds workers’ rights to organise and engage in collective bargaining and social dialogue.

The union’s general secretary, Gopal Kishnam, said the union wanted the industrial relations department to take action under Section 59 of the Industrial Relations Act 1967, which prohibits discrimination against trade union activities.

“We filed a case (to the industrial relations department) under Section 59 after advice from the ILO (International Labour Organization).

“So the department has to speed up the process and take action accordingly, as provided in the Industrial Relations Act,” he told FMT.

Union member Ng Yap Hwa said the government must take action against the employer to hold them accountable and support the workers.

“We filed the case more than a year ago. Under this section, the government can prosecute the employer for union-busting. We don’t know why this process is taking such a long time,” he said.