KUALA LUMPUR – Former staffers of defunct Umno-controlled daily Utusan Melayu have launched a petition over severance packages that remain unpaid after it closed down two years ago.
The ex-staffers, forming an informal group called Bekas Pekerja Utusan Melayu, launched the petition on Change.org yesterday to claim arrears for the voluntary separation scheme (VSS) for more than 800 individuals.
In less than 24 hours since its launch, the petition titled “Where is the compensation for former Utusan Melayu workers after two years of retrenchment?” gained more than 1,586 signatures as at 6pm today.
The group said this month marks the second year since the company ceased operations on October 9, 2019, leading to the loss of jobs for more than 800 workers.
“On that date, with only a few hours’ notice, all staff were asked to vacate their desks and offices, which, at the time, the company still owed employees two months’ salary, their EPF (Employee Provident Fund), their IRB (Inland Revenue Board payments), and arrears in various loans.
“After ceasing operations, Utusan was taken over by liquidator UHY Malaysia, which did not inform employees on the compensation they would receive, except with empty promises that retrenchment compensation payments would be made after they successfully sold various Utusan Melayu assets, and which was expected to take about one year.”
They claimed that, after assets worth hundreds of millions were sold, UHY had only managed to settle two months’ employee salaries and payments to the IRB, adding other payments, such as the EPF contribution and medical claims, have yet to be settled.
“UHY has also failed to pay the mandatory ‘severance compensation payment’, which needs to be settled immediately, especially statutory benefits such as notice replacement, termination benefits, and annual leave balance payment, even though it is understood that several major Utusan Melayu assets worth hundreds of millions of ringgit have been sold.”
The group also urged UHY to immediately withdraw itself as a liquidating company if it fails to settle the dues, and seek the intervention of the government and Umno, which is a former major shareholder of Utusan Melayu, to resolve the issue.
“On behalf of the former staff, we thank all the individuals and parties who supported and signed this petition in support of the former staff of Utusan Melayu who were wronged.” – The Vibes, October 6, 2021
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