Stay away, Bukit Jalil estate workers tell NUPW

PETALING JAYA: Bitten twice, former Bukit Jalil estate workers don' t want the National Union of Plantation Workers to be their spokesman when they meet Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).They accused NUPW of “lining its own pockets” instead of looking after the well-being of the workers.They blamed the union for not keeping a record of their stay in the estate and as a result, they have become “non-existent”.
This time, the workers who are now residents of Ladang Bukit Jalil want to call the shots without the interference of third parties. Their action force committee wants to deal directly with DBKL.
Its treasurer K Balakrishnan said: “The NUPW spoke on our behalf when we met DBKL and the labour office in 2007 and 2008.“We made it very clear to them (NUPW) that the final decision (on our relocation) will only be made by the residents themselves, and not the NUPW. ”“But we had a rude shock when we were slapped by an eviction notice by DBKL this year. Upon consulting the labour office, they told us that NUPW had made an agreement with them. The union did it without consulting us.”He said the NUPW was only interested in lining up its own pockets. “The union is not interested in looking after our welfare,” he said.

No records kept

Balakrishnan told FMT that the residents do not want the NUPW to mediate on their behalf anymore when they meet DBKL again.“In any future negotiations, DBKL must deal directly with us,” he said.Committee secretary S Thiyakarajan also said the NUPW had failed to protect the estate workers despite the latter contributing monthly to the union.“They failed to document all the happenings of the estate since the 1980s when the government acquired the land. We were only informed of the acquisition verbally.”“When DBKL listed us as squatters in 2000, the union also failed to correct DBKL,”said Thiyakarajan. He alleged that the plantation union did not keep the records of them staying in a former estate land.“The excuse they (NUPW) gave was they lost the documents while shifting office in Kuala Lumpur. How could this happen? They should have had a copy in their state branch as we come under Selangor. We are literally 'non-existent' now,”said Thiyakarajan.Balakrishnan, however, said he welcomed Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary-general S Arutchelvan in any discussion as he had been helpful towards them.

“He has been working with us for a long time. We have no qualm about him assisting us,” he said.Arutchelvan agreed that only the estate committee should be involved in future meetings as it has the legitimacy to do so.“The committee is appointed by the estate residents to represent them, so I believe the committee members have authority to make decisions, ” he said. However, Balakrishnan said the committee is still waiting for a meeting with DBKL to discuss the fate of the Ladang Bukit Jalil residents, who faced eviction.On July 20, 41 families there were slapped with an eviction notice by DBKL. However, the residents stood their ground, and vowed to face even the anti-riot personnel to protect their houses.
The stand-off ended on Aug 6 after Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak ordered Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Minister Raja Nong Chik to call off the demolition until a solution is reached.

Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/9329-stay-away-bukit-jalil-estate-workers-tell-nupw