by Parliamentary Opposition Leader and DAP Secretary-General, Lim Kit Siang:
DAP calls on Labour Minister, Lee San Choon, to intervene and end of the lock-out by Australian-Malaysian timber factory in Klang and restore employment to some 500 workers
Yesterday, accompanied by the National Vice Chairman of the DAP Socialist Youth, Sdr. Madhavan Nair, I visited the 500 workers who were locked out by the timber industry, Corinthian Industries (M) Sdn. Bhd. at 4 m.s. Jalan Kapar, KLANG.
On 29th Sept. 1977, the company gave a general notice to terminate the services of 104 workers. When the workers in the timber industry, which make door-components for export, picketed, all the 440 workers, the majority of whom are Malays, were locked out. These 440 workers are still licked out today, and have received neither their Septenber wages, nor any cent of compensation.
When the 440 workers were locked out an Sept. 29, members of the staff and the executive officers, numbering some 6 people, continued to work. However, two days ago, on 11.10.1974m these 66 staff and executive officers were locked out, when they reported for duty in the morning.
The Corinthian Industries (M) Sdn. Bhd, is acting as a bad employer, and the Ministry of Labour should immediately intervene to end this illegal lock-out and restore employment to the 500 Malaysian workers. I have this morning sent a telegram to the Labour Minister, Dato Lee San Choon, asking for his immediately intervention.
The Corinthian Industries (M) Sdn. Bhd. is 49% Australian-owned and 51% Malaysian owned. Malaysian workers cannot allow industries to blatantly disregard the security of job tenure of workers, or to permit managements to lock-out workers as and when they like in complete disregard of the law.