On 14 February 2014, Malaysia Airlines started disciplinary proceedings against 30 members of the National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (NUFAM) as well as its General Secretary, Mohd Akram bin Osman, for having allegedly participated in an “illegal gathering” on 27 November 2013 at the Ministry of Human Resources in Putrajaya.
NUFAM is a registered trade union, and has sought recognition for collective bargaining purposes from Malaysian Airlines. When the company refused to recognise the union, the Director General of the Industrial Relations Department conducted a secret ballot vote in which 62.73 per cent of workers voted in support of NUFAM. However, on 4 October 2013, Malaysia Airlines challenged this decision by filing an application for a judicial review in the High Court.
On 29 November 2013, Malaysia Airlines terminated the employment contract of Ismail Nasaruddin, President of NUFAM, for a speech he gave in his capacity as union leader without conducting a disciplinary inquiry and without giving him the opportunity to respond to the allegations.
In December 2013, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against 10 NUFAM members for comments they made in their Facebook group.