BANKS in Malaysia have to take the reports of sexual harassment seriously and not sweep the reports under the carpet or ignore them totally.
Above all else, leading banks in the country must immediately investigate any report of sexual harassment by subordinates against their bosses.
In this regard, National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) secretary-general J. Solomon advised banks that protecting low ranking employees from sexual harassment is important.
The government itself is working hard to protect people from harassment, he pointed out, but that defeats the purpose if leading banks in the country ignore such acts which will eventually set a bad precedent.
“There have been banks that have come down hard on those involved in sexual harassment to the extent of terminating the employee concerned,” Solomon told FocusM.
“Sadly, some leading banks have gone the opposite direction with action taken against the person making the complaint instead. The employee was suspended while the ‘preparator’ continues to work at the bank.”
The NUBE secretary-general further expressed his sadness at the way leading banks in the country deal with sexual harassment given staff protection seems to be a secondary priority.
Solomon is also dismayed at the way key banks in the country are dealing with the union given previously banks were happy to resolve disputes through discussions instead of pursuing the legal channel.
Stating that “things have changed in recent times”, he wondered if the appointment of Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong has embolden some banks to take a tougher stand.
“Banks nowadays are more than willing to have cases referred to the industrial court or the industrial relations department,” explained Solomon.
He also lamented that it seems to be very difficult for NUBE to meet the minister or to urge him to take a neutral stand follow the Industrial Relations Act 1967 which protects the rights of workers and prevents employers from abusing them.
On this note, Solomon even questioned whether there were hidden hands in the minister’s office which prevent him from sitting down with NUBE.
Towards this end, he called on the minister to keep an open mind by understanding the role NUBE plays in protecting workers from unjust action. – Sept 18, 2024
Main image credit: NUBE Malaysia/Facebook
