2,000 Sabah bank workers welcome 17% pay increase
KOTA KINABALU:
For the 2,000 bank employees in Sabah, the 17 percent salary hike is something they have been eagerly waiting for, with inflation and high fuel and goods prices eating into their disposable incomes. Sabah Bank Employees Union (SBEU) President Margaret Chin yesterday said their hard work and unceasing efforts since last September for the increment had paid off. “We feel happy with the increment after our efforts since September but my question is, why it took so long for the authorities to agree to our demand and why was it only done after the Prime Minister’s intervention?” she said. According to Chin, SBEU had initially sought the assistance of several authorities in Sabah, including the Labour Department for assistance in resolving their plight but was informed that they were unable to do anything. “Then, we approached a Minister in the Human Resources Ministry but to no avail. However we were lucky that our plight and demands were voiced out in Parliament resulting in the increment,” she said. Chin added that the escalating cost of living demanded a salary increment and bank employees would like to have a salary review every three years. Meanwhile, when asked for her opinion of money laundering activities in Labuan, Chin said that all bank employees had been trained to detect any money laundering activity and steps to tackle the problem.
