KUALA LUMPUR (June 25): The Petronas Workers' Union in Sarawak alleged today it is "patronising, insulting and arrogant" for the Malaysian national oil corporation to expect and demand that all employee unions accept a one-size-fits-all offer.
The Petronas Workers' Union in Sarawak is also known as Kesatuan Kakitangan Petronas (KAPENAS) Sarawak.
In a statement today, KAPENAS Sarawak alleged that Petronas refuses to take into account the different situations and sensitivities of its employees.
"It is disturbing for Petronas to demand that KAPENAS Sarawak blindly follow other unions that are, by virtue of the Federal Constitution and the Trade Unions Act, separate and distinct.
"It is hypocritical for Petronas to now expect KAPENAS Sarawak to follow the other unions when its own management team tried to pressure Sarawak to accept a lower salary increase compared to the other four unions," KAPENAS Sarawak claimed.
KAPENAS Sarawak said its statement today was in response to Petronas' statement on the matter.
theedgemarkets.com reported earlier today that Petronas said it deeply regrets to note that KAPENAS Sarawak decided to proceed with a deadlock declaration despite the competitive offer given to all five unions involving the company's employees there.
KAPENAS Sarawak, in response, claimed in its statement: "We are not at all surprised by [the] statement, given the similar attitude the management has displayed during the negotiations. We call on the management to act in good faith if it is serious in resolving the matter in the interest of its employees."
At the time of writing, Petronas had not issued a statement in response to KAPENAS Sarawak's allegations.