Syarikat Getah Bagus Sdn Bhd - Lighting Action

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Next day, during the morning coffee break at 11.00 am, the security guards rushed into the Personnel Department saying that there was a ruckus in the canteen where operators were banging on tables and shouting in unison, “John Ho. He must go!” The din was increasing and the sound of breaking bottles was heard. More workers from other units of the Plant joined the operators in the canteen.

John Ho rushed to the Production area where the tyres were being built and switched off the idling machines as no operators were minding them. “This is the last straw,” he muttered. “There they go again, I won’t stand for this any longer,” he shouted at the foremen who were on the shop-floor. “Get them to clock their cards and get out if they cannot work,” John Ho said angrily.

PART TWO

Mr Jim Mckintosh, the Managing Director who by now had heard about the ruckus in the Operators’ Canteen called for Tom Mathews and they both walked briskly to the canteen. They were joined by Ferns, the Industrial Relations Manager. As they entered the canteen, John Ho, the Production Manager was seen rushing from one tyre-building to another, switching off each machine. Tim Matthews beckoned to John Ho who, after speaking to some of the supervisors on the shop-floor, came out to the canteen to look for the shift-foreman, Tan See Seng.

The following argument ensued:

McKintosh: Now, surely, gentlemen, this is not the way to voice your grievance. There is a time and place to talk - not stop work at company’s cost, time, and effort. Let us go to the table and talk like gentlemen.

Tan See Seng: Mr Mckintosh, we have no more confidence in talking to your managers across the table as they do not behave like gentlemen and gentlemen do not use bad language. John Ho threatened to chuck us out. All right, if one operator goes, we will all go. We are human beings, not animals, you know.

Ferns: All right, See Seng, whatever the problem, we have to sit down and talk like gentlemen. Let us go to the conference room where we can discuss matters calmly. We are not strangers, you know.

The protesting workers cheered and booed at the management staff. Suddenly the sound of a bottle breaking was heard and some tomato sauce splashed on the white starched shirt of Mr Mckintosh, appearing like blood stains. He was startled.

A group of security guards then surrounded the management team, cordoning them off from the excited workers. The guards led the management members to the adjoining Dining Room.

With the departure of the managers, Mr Ferns appealed to Tan See Seng to get the operators to go back to work and for See Seng to come to the Personnel Conference Room to talk matters over. Tan See Seng told the operators to return to their workplace and the crowd slowly dispersed. Some went back to work while others stood talking in groups looking at two approaching cars. One car carried National Union officers while the other car was driven by representative from the Ministry of Labour.

The National Union’s Secretary, Nasir, and President, Veloo made their way to the Personnel Department’s Conference room where they met the Ministry of Labour’s Conciliator, Mr Kiruba, who had been invited by Ferns, the Industrial Relations Manager. Although the ruckus at the canteen had died down, there still remained an air of tension, resentment and anticipation. There was some form of restlessness from Managing Director to mechanic.

In the meantime, the Conference Room in the Personnel Department was a flurry of activity. Mr Kiruba spoke to a group of agitated union representatives and tried to calm them down. He also spoke to Mr McKintosh who left the room after a few minutes to return to his office leaving Mr Mathews (Personnel Director), Ferns (I.R Manager), Chin Tow Chye (Welfare & Training Officer) and Company Secretary, Idris Rahman sitting on one side of the table. On the other side was the National Union President, Veloo, Nasir (National Union Secretary), Tan See Seng (worksite Chairman) and Bashir (worksite Secretary). Mr Kiruba was invited to take the chair. A tray of cool drinks arrived and discussion began.

Outside in the Company’s compound, workers stood in groups. As the security guards were asking them to return to the plant, the siren sounded calling them to return to work.

BACKGROUND

The Company

Syarikat Getah Bagus is a resource-based manufacturing company producing rubber goods. It was registered on January 1960 under the Malaysian Companies Act. It enjoyed a pioneer tax holiday in respect of its tyre-production division for seven year as a local incentive and also for being rubber-based.

In June 2008, the company had eight hundred employees, of whom forty were managers/executive, 120 were supervisory personnel including foremen, and the rest were bargainable employees. Of the rest only four hundred and eighty employees were in-benefit members of the Union.

Union Recognition

The union recognised by the Company is the National Union of Employees Manufacturing Rubber Products (NUEMRP). Four collective Agreements had been concluded so far. The last Collective Agreement was signed on December 2007 for a three-year term from January 2008 to December 2010. The Industrial Court Registry had taken cognizance of the Collective Agreement.

Industrial Relations

The Collective Agreement was signed under protest as no conclusion had been reached with regard to a Productivity Bonus Scheme. Since then there had been protest demonstrated by continued absenteeism, malingering and horse-play in the plant. The Productivity Bonus Scheme would be a supplementary Agreement.

J.C.C. (Joint Consultative Council)

The Company has a joint consultative council, consisting of four union representatives and four management representatives, which meets bimonthly to discuss labour problems. The Committee at the time was made up of the Union delegation, consists of the Personnel Director, Industrial Relations Manager, the Welfare/Training Manager and the Company Secretary who acted as Secretary to the council.

Labour Ministry Liaison

Because of the special contract to supply 10,000 tyres to the Government, the Ministry of Labour had been directed to monitor the state of labour relations in the Company and there had been constant contact with the