KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 21): The National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) claimed that Hong Leong Bank Bhd had breached its collective agreement with workers for not consulting the union before implementing a mutual separation scheme (MSS).

In a statement today, NUBE general secretary J. Solomon said the union only knew about the MSS last Monday (Oct 19), one day before Hong Leong Bank made the MSS offer.

"The MSS was issued on Oct 20, 2015 to all employees, but NUBE was merely notified via fax at 5.30pm on Oct 19, 2015 and email on Oct 20, 2015. The statement by the CEO of the HLB (Tan Kong Khoon) is misleading the press and the public.

"Article 6 of the Collective Agreement imposes a legal duty on the bank to recognise NUBE as the sole negotiator for the worker within its scope whilst the Code of Conduct for Industrial Harmony laid down clear guidelines for employers during economic slowdown," Solomon said.

Yesterday, Hong Leong Bank and Hong Leong Islamic Bank Bhd said they were implementing the MSS to strengthen operational efficiency.

Tan said the MSS was a move to strengthen the organisation by enhancing productivity and efficiency amid an increasingly competitive environment.

He said Hong Leong Bank and Hong Leong Islamic had informed the authorities and staff unions about the MSS.

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