Thousands of bank workers from across Malaysia gathered in front of the Ministry of Human Resources today in a peaceful May Day demonstration to protest what they describe as growing anti-union discrimination under Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
Themed “Voice of the Voiceless,” the rally was organized by the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) and ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Protesters called for justice, accountability, and the restoration of trade union rights, alleging systemic efforts to undermine union representation in the banking sector.
NUBE’s General Secretary J. Solomon directly held Minister Sim accountable for the alleged actions of 17 banks that he said have collectively undermined the union’s ability to represent its members and violated both Malaysian labor laws and international standards.
“These are not mere bureaucratic oversights — they represent systemic attacks on workers’ dignity and union freedom,” Solomon said during the rally.
One of the union’s key complaints involves what it calls “secret negotiations” between the Ministry and banks, which allegedly resulted in the withdrawal of the one-month Festival Aid payment for approximately 15,000 workers from the B40 and M40 income groups for the year 2024 onward.
NUBE also accused Sim of breaching the Industrial Relations Act 1967 by unilaterally referring the 20th Collective Agreement to the Industrial Court despite employers’ failure to initiate negotiation meetings. Furthermore, the union claims that complaints of workplace harassment were ignored by the Ministry.
The union argues that these actions contravene Malaysia’s commitments under the International Labour Organization’s Convention 98, which protects the right to organize and bargain collectively — a treaty Malaysia has ratified. The protest also highlighted how these issues contradict the goals of the 12th Malaysia Plan, which pledges to strengthen the country’s trade union movement.
NUBE called for the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the alleged misconduct by the Human Resources Minister, Ministry officials, and CEOs of the 17 implicated banks.
“This May Day rally is a peaceful, lawful expression of workers’ demands and a collective stand against injustice,” Solomon declared. “NUBE calls on all workers and the public to support this movement and stand in solidarity for dignity, justice, and trade union freedom in Malaysia.”
The Ministry of Human Resources has not yet issued a response to the allegations at the time of publication.
