Suspend MTUC leadership, probe union’s spendings - Council member

SHAH ALAM – Members of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has urge authorities to suspend and probe the union’s leaders to ensure that the funds are protected and used legally.

A delegate and council member A. Sivananthan claimed that MTUC deputy president Mohd Affendy Abdul Ghani announced that he would withdraw RM1.5 million from MTUC fixed deposit accounts for their administration, without any supporting documents presented.

Affendy was said to have made the announcement during the closing session of the Triennial Delegates Conference (TDC) which was held last week from 2 and 3 July 2022.

Sivananthan further explained that the fixed deposit account was allegedly replenished when the MTUC leadership received a grant from the Prime Minister's Office amounting to RM4 million, which was approved by the government for the training program.

"Clearly, this runs contrary to the intention of the grant mentioned by the Prime Minister. When the leadership blatantly announces the misuse of the PM’s grant, it also indicates that they will continuously expend the MTUC funds as well.

"We do not want to see the MTUC funds being abused. Therefore, the authorities should suspend the leaders and investigate, so that MTUC’s funds are protected and used constitutionally based on the objectives of the MTUC Constitution," he said in a media statement today.

Commenting further, Sivananthan said the elected leaders failed to produce an Annual Statement of Accounts since September last year.

"There were no single monthly statements of accounts produced by the elected leadership since September 2020.

"The audited Annual Statement of Accounts for the years ending March 2020, 2021, and 2022 were never presented at the General Council nor the TDC.

"Among others, the estimated Budget for 2023 to 2025 was only presented in the afternoon of 3rd July, which was the 2nd day of the TDC.

"The estimated budget can only be deliberated after approving the income and expenses for 2020 to 2022, the failure to do so was a gross breach of the rules of the TDC," he said.

Sivananthan also said during the TDC session, around 30 unions protested and demanded the MTUC to defer the TDC.

He added, this to enable them to rectify all the violations of the Constitution before conducting the TDC.

However, the leadership with the support of most of the delegates put aside the protest and carried on with the TDC.

"It is our legitimate demand that the authorities take immediate action to suspend the leadership so that unlawful activities will not be carried out which will further jeopardise and make the Labour Centre beyond repair.

"However, the payment of staff salaries and utilities must be attended to, without any disruption," he said.

Sivananthan also informed that his party had officially reported to the Registrar of Societies (RoS), Selangor Branch and its Head Office in Putrajaya.

It has also been reported to the Secretary General of Home Affairs, and Deputy Minister and Minister of Home Affairs for their immediate action.