TENAGA Nasional Bhd (TNB) would not be going through the current melee if the Government has practised professionalism when hiring leaders for top government-linked companies (GLC).
“We can say that GLCs posts are goldmines. Not only the person appointed to the post gets top-notch salaries but they can also bring in their own people to the company.
“And the people brought by the new appointee gets double or even triple the salaries they used to get in their previous employment. They don’t bring new ideas but just reshuffle the company structure,” UNI-Malaysia Labour Centre (UNI-MLC) president Datuk Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal told FocusM.
This would surely not bode well with many career employees of GLCs.
“They may have worked there for decades but the new guys get better perks. It affects their morale,” noted Mohamed Shafie.
Yesterday, the Joint Union of TNB Workers (KPPPTNB) said they supported the leadership of its CEO Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Aziz whom many have speculated may get the boot.
Respect talent, prioritise internal staff
Its president Othman Alias said he found it “uncanny” that Amir Hamzah’s fate is being postulated publicly, giving rise to uncertainty within TNB and its employees.
Shafee said it is important for the Government to give due respect to talents and to prioritise internal staff of GLCs to fill vacant leadership positions before opening it to outsiders.
“The GLC board must have industry knowledge and be accountable to the public,” he opined. “If we keep doing things like this, our economy will be affected and lead to brain drain.”
Touching on the TNB issue, Shafee said that while KPPTNB supported Amir Hamzah’s leadership, there are four other unions which have decided to remain neutral on the matter.
“In my view, if the four unions decide to remain neutral on the issue, we must respect their position as well,” he added.
The TNB union remaining impartial over the CEO tussle are TNB Support Staff Services Union, TNB Executives Association, TNB Security Unit Association and TNB Executive Officers Association. – Dec 17, 2020.
