Waiting for the Light - Anthony Thanasayan
- Details
- Created on Thursday, 30 October 2014 08:42
- Published Date
- Written by Anthony Thanasayan
- Category: Columnist
Last week's Deepavali celebration may have been a joyous occasion for most Hindus in the country.
However, for as many as 167 employees in
Semenyih in the state of Selangor, the festival of lights hasn't quite
arrived yet because of an unusual problem which is confronting them.
The workers, who comprise locals and
migrants from Bangladesh and Indonesia, claim they have not been paid
their salaries since May this year by their company 'Recycle Energy Sdn Bhd'.
Not only that, they say the
contributions deducted from their salaries towards the Employees'
Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) have not
been submitted to EPF by the company since a year ago.
Overtime payments have also not been paid to the workers for more than 12 months.
The good news, however, is that this
issue was subsequently brought to the attention of the Department of
Labour in Bangi in Selangor last July.
The case was filed in court. The employees won.
The court ruled that the employer must pay all arrears of their salaries by 17 September.
However, the bad news is that until now the workers have yet to get their money.
This, despite the fact that all 167
employees had staged a picket against the company's withholding of their
salaries a week before Deepavali.
Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) had helped the workers to hold a protest. The event had also been attended by labour officers.
The affected workers still turn up for work each day in the hope that their wages will be paid soon.
Life isn't at all easy for these workers.
It is especially difficult and painful
because the recent festival symbolises "the victory of good over evil
and light over darkness".
Here are some examples of what some of them and their families have to endure:
Panirselvam, 36, lives in Taman Desa
Semenyih with his wife and two children. One of them is five years old
and the other, two. They all live in a rented house.
There was no Deepavali for them this
year. How can they celebrate when they are not able to pay the rent as
well as the bills for water and electricity?
The husband and wife have an added problem now of finding enough cash to buy milk for the youngest child.
The kids have since switched to Milo.
Borrowing money from friends to buy food for the family has become a way of life for Panir.
Devaraja is 36 years old. He is from Taman Jasmin.
Devaraja is also living in a rented flat with his wife, Meena, and their six children.
The youngest is eight years old and the eldest is 16. Four of Devaraja's kids are school-going children.
What complicates matters is that Meena is a heart patient. Doctors have told her that she has only three years more to live.
Meena had a heart attack last month and
was rushed to a government hospital where she was admitted to its
intensive care unit (ICU).
Because he had no salary, Devaraja was not able to pay the cost of the medical treatment for his wife.
The unpaid rent, arrears in water and
electricity, and the loan instalment for his motorcycle caused him and
his family to be more depressed about their situation.
Like Panir, Devaraja had to resort to borrowing money to survive.
The circumstances, however, forced him
to go one step further - he sought the help of money lenders in order to
buy groceries for his family.
Tamilarasan, 47, hails from Taman Tasik Kesuma. He fathers two children.
His youngest is studying in Form Four. His eldest is a year older and also in secondary school.
Tamilarasan's wife, Lucy, is a
housewife. Like all the examples in this article, Tamilarasan is also
facing hardship regarding payment of bills and the loan instalments for
his house.
Furthermore, one of his kids is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a swelling on the neck.
However, as important and as necessary
as the operation is, Tamilarasan has had no choice but to postpone the
procedure. With his pay continuing to be withheld, he is simply unable
to meet the medical costs.
For now, Tamilarasan is busy
concentrating on the biggest thing on his mind - to put food on the
table every day for his beloved family. He, too, resorts to borrowing
money from his friends and money lenders in order to make it through
each day.
PSM, on its part, is continuing with its efforts to help all 167 workers get their salaries as soon as possible.
If you can, or would like to assist in
any way in this situation, please contact PSM at its headquarters. The
telephone number is as follows: 03-22747791. Contact person: Mr P
Kesavan.
The aNt.
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