Union members demonstrated outside the headquarters of Edgenta Mediserve Sdn Bhd in Ipoh on 17 May 2019, protesting that the healthcare company’s senior executives had issued threats against workers who were members of the National Union of Workers in Hospital Support and Allied Services (NUWHSAS).
The protesters accused the company of union busting by its having threatened to take disciplinary action against staff who had been involved in union activities. “Some of our members had been threatened they would be removed from their job if they continue to be active,” said the union’s executive secretary, M. Sarasvathy.
She explained that harassment started in 2017 when the union asked to negotiate a collective agreement for workers with the company. In September 2018, the company’s subsidiary signed an agreement with the union, allowing its members to cast their votes from September to November according to a designated time and place. “However, some of the company’s supervisors threatened the staff not to cast votes or face the consequences,” she said. Sarasvathy further alleged that the workers were also bullied and transferred from one section to the other, while those who wanted to attend Labour Day events were told not to do so or they would be sacked.
“We have sent complaint letters to the company and the Human Resources Ministry, and even lodged 15 police reports, but to no avail.”