EPF union now wants PM to step in after stalled talks with bosses

KUALA LUMPUR – Efforts to deal with the protest among Employees Provident Fund Board staff union have stalled, with the union purportedly refusing to take part in meetings with the board’s management to finalise solutions. 

The EPF union has launched protests against the management, and staff had worn “tyrannical EPF management” badges as a sign of their unhappiness from August 9 to 16 nationwide. 

Union president Ahmad Hamzah said the union now wants the prime minister to step in after several meetings with the EPF management to resolve union demands failed to yield favourable results. 

The union had on numerous occasions sent proposals over wage balancing, salary adjustments, standardisation of terms and conditions, retirement benefits, regional allowance, cross-selling, bonus, objection to the establishment of the management committee, filling the position of the Sabah regional director, and the addition of the union’s annual grant.

“The union has sent a proposal to the management but unfortunately, there has been no counter proposal from them (management). The reluctance of the management to discuss and give suggestions causes a difference of interests,” he said in a statement today.

MalaysiaKini reported EPF chief Amir Hamzah Azizan as saying union delegates have chosen not to participate in meetings aimed at finalising the proposed solutions. 

“We are steadfast in our dedication to fostering dialogue and cooperation, guiding us towards a resolution that is fair, impartial and rational.

“While we recognise the possibility of varying viewpoints arising, we hold the strong conviction that addressing such circumstances with openness and understanding is of the utmost importance,” he stated.

EPF has “conducted numerous dialogue sessions to exchange views and gauge feedback from the union’s committee members, where they have tabled their counter-proposals”, he said, including talking to union leaders in Sabah and Sarawak with the same intention. 

 But he said the union leaders and committee members have refused to attend recent sessions that aimed to conclude proposals on the concerns raised. 

 Still, Amir Hamzah assured that the EPF management is receptive to ongoing discussions with the fund’s presidential council, with a keen anticipation of advancing further towards a harmonious resolution of the matter. – The Vibes, August 11, 2023