KOTA KINABALU – The issue of some 2,000 Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) workers not being paid since February that was highlighted in The Vibes recently has certainly caught the attention of Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Md Noor.
Hajiji has given his assurance that the salaries of SFI workers will be paid by this month.
“Inshaallah, their salaries will be paid in full,” he told reporters during a visit to University Apartment, which had been experiencing a serious water crisis since February.
The state government owns a 2% stake in papermill firm SFI, which was set to be taken over by Pelangi Prestasi, a subsidiary firm linked to Malaysian tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary via a deal with India’s Ballarpur Industries, purportedly worth RM1.2 billion.
Currently, there are no companies running the firm after Ballarpur Industries was allegedly riddled by financial problems.
The firm, which is under the receivership and management of Grant Thornton, has been caught in a legal battle after the previous Warisan-led Sabah government froze the issuance of timber licences to SFI.
This is not the first time the issue of unpaid salaries has surfaced, but the then Warisan government had always managed to resolve the problem during its 26-month reign.
USCF pay cut issue
Meanwhile, Hajiji also said he would engage with the management of University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) over its decision to introduce a 50% pay cut to its staff.
A similar incident also happened during the Warisan-led government, but former chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal instructed the college to pay the staff’s salaries in full.
The pay cut was reportedly required to sustain operations at the college following sluggish student enrolment.
“We will look into this matter and talk to the management.
“I will call the Sabah Foundation director and resolve this matter the best we can.
“This is Ramadan and we must be able to resolve the issues faced by the staff,” he said.
On the water crisis faced by residents of University Apartment near Jalan UMS, Hajiji said he is happy a task force was able to resolve the problem.
According to residents, the water supply has been fully restored.
Since Chinese New Year in February, over 5,000 people living in the area had been experiencing a water crisis. – The Vibes, April 21, 2021
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