ALOR STAR: The Human Resource Ministry, through the Social Security Organisation (Sosco), is offering assistance to secure new employment for employees of Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd who may lose their jobs due to the financial position of the company.
Deputy Minister Datuk Mahfuz Omar said today Socso would try to get matching employment for them.
He said contributors to the Employment Insurance System (EIS) could claim various benefits if they lost their jobs.
“If they lose their jobs, we will make payments.
“In the case of Utusan staff, we have assisted some of them to secure jobs, but in other sectors,” he said.
Mahfuz had earlier handed contributions to 300 students of his Pokok Sena parliamentary constituency who have qualified for studies at institutions of higher learning.
On the EIS, Mahfuz said that beginning Dec 1 last year, workers who lost their jobs and had made contributions for a minimum of 11 months were eligible for the full benefits under EIS, such as the job search allowance (JSA); early re-employment allowance (ERA) and reduced income allowance (RIA).
Mahfuz said the ministry had met representatives of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Utusan management to discuss payments under the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) for staff taking that option.
However, the VSS payments got postponed and there was a delay in the payment of salaries.
“This should not have happened. We met with the Utusan management and NUJ again but I have not received any information on that meeting,” he said.
Yesterday, more than 100 Utusan Melayu employees staged a demonstration outside their company headquarters seeking payment of salary arrears of between two and three months.
They were informed that the company would cease operations if there was no solution to paying their salary arrears. - BERNAMA