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1 August 2019
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HR Ministry, cops say no proof Klang firm forbidding Muslim staff from praying
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Conflicting accounts have surfaced with regard to an alleged memo barring staff of a Klang-based firm from praying during work hours.
The News Straits Times had quoted an operations manager of Hond Tat Industries Sdn Bhd (Hond Tat) dismissing the memo, which has gone viral on social media, as fake.
The operations manager, who was not named, also believed that the memo could be an act of sabotage.
However, Utusan Online later quoted an unnamed staff from the shopping bag and hygiene products manufacturer as confirming the prohibition.
Malaysiakini‘s repeated attempts to contact Hond Tat proved futile as the news portal was told that all the managers are engaged in a meeting.
In the New Straits Times report, the operations manager said Hond Tat planned to lodge a police report over the issue.
“This is an act of sabotage. There is no signature on the memo and no approval by the top management. Anyone can take the letterhead and print it.
“No Muslim staff (member) is forbidden from performing prayers during working hours,” added the manager.
The Utusan Online report, on the other hand, quoted the staff as claiming that the management retracted the memo after courting flak from netizens.
“The memo is real but this has been resolved.
“This happened because there was a misunderstanding by the non-Muslim company manager, who does not understand Muslim prayer times.
“A representative of Muslim staff at the company has since met with the management and the issue is regarded as solved,” said the worker.
The alleged bilingual memo was dated July 30.
“The management would like to inform all employees are advised that they are not allowed to prayer (sic) during working hours except lunchtime only.
“With immediate effect, if found to be in violation of the order, a fine of RM500 shall be imposed for each offence,” it read.
Meanwhile, the Human Resources Ministry urged the public to wait for accurate news on the memo rather than spread misinformation on social media.
The ministry issued a statement after taking into account the New Straits Times report.
It added that such complaints were usually investigated by the Labour Department.
The Human Resources Ministry is expected to issue a statement on the issue after verifying the authenticity of the memo.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/486232
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New Straits Times @NST_Online
Plastic company lodges police report over viral memo barring Muslim staff from praying
KLANG: The management of a plastic bag supplier company has lodged a police report denying that it has issued a memo prohibiting Muslim employees from performing their prayers during working hours, except at lunch time.
Klang Utara district police chief Assistant Commissioner Nurulhuda Mohd Salleh said the company’s management staff lodged a report today after the alleged memo, dated July 30, went viral on social media.
“The company’s management denied they had issued the memo and it was believed to be fake as it does not have a signature.
“(The memo) also did not go through the organisation’s internal correspondence process,” said Nurulhuda in a statement.
She said the complainant had been summoned to his statement recorded.
“We would also advise people against taking matters into their own hands or make speculations that could jeopardise the religious harmony of the country,” she said.
Hond Tat Industries Sdn Bhd operations manager, who declined to be named, had earlier described it as an act of sabotage as no Muslim staff was forbidden from performing prayers during working hours.
She said the memo had no signature or approval by the top management.
Anyone could take the letterhead and print the memo, she said.
She said the irresponsible act could possiblyhave been committed by a disgruntled staff.
The memo, purportedly issued by Hond Tat top management, was addressed to its staff and production workers.
The one-page document read: “The management would like to inform all employees are advised that they are not allowed to prayer during working except lunch time only.
“With immediate effect, if found to be in violation of the order, a fine of RM500 shall be imposed for each offence.”
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Klang company denies forbidding Muslim staff from praying in viral memo
KLANG: Hond Tat Industries Sdn Bhd has denied issuing a memo barring its Muslim staff members from performing prayers during office hours.
Its operations manager, who declined to be named, said the company does not prohibit Muslim employees from praying on its premises during working hours, as claimed in a fake memo which has gone viral on social media.
“This is an act of sabotage. There is no signature on the memo and no approval by the top management. Anyone can take the letterhead and print it.
“We will be lodging a police report on this matter soon. No Muslim staff (member) is forbidden from performing prayers during working hours,” she told the New Straits Times.
She added that the irresponsible act may have been committed by a disgruntled employee.
Hond Tat is a plastic bag supplier based in Kapar, here.
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Company retracts memo banning prayer during office hours
PETALING JAYA: A company in Klang has retracted a memo barring its Muslim staff from performing prayers during office hours.
Plastic bag manufacturer Hond Tat Industries Sdn Bhd said there was a misunderstanding over the memo dated July 30.
“All the workers were angry,” a spokesman for the company told FMT.
She said the memo had yet to be posted on the company’s whiteboard.
The memo which was written in English and Malay reads:
“The management would like to inform all employees are advised that they are not allowed to prayer during working hours except lunch time only.
“With immediate effect if found to be in violation of the order, a fine of RM500.00 (Ringgit Malaysia: Five Hundred Only) shall be imposed for each offence.” (Passages have not been edited.)
The company had reportedly denied issuing the memo.
“This is an act of sabotage. There is no signature on the memo and no approval by the top management. Anyone can take the letterhead and print it,” an operations manager told The News Straits Times, adding that a police report would be lodged by the company.
Meanwhile, Kapar Umno Youth chief Muhammad Noor Azman Noor Hizam warned of “firm and appropriate action” if the memo was found to be genuine.
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KAPAR: The management of a plastic manufacturing factory at the Sungai Kapar Industrial Park, which allegedly prohibited its Muslim staff from praying, has revised the timing of its one-hour rest period to accommodate prayer time.
An employee, who declined to be named, said the issue surfaced following a misunderstanding with the company’s top management which was said to be unfamiliar with the Muslim prayer times.
However, the issue was considered resolved after a Muslim employee met with the top management recently.
“This is not a big issue because we are allowed to perform our prayers. There were some employees who were found to have gone from missing from work on the pretext of going for prayers.
“Our break-time was previously from 12pm to 1pm. Now it has been changed from 1pm to 2pm,” the employee told Berita Harian.
The employee said the company’s top management would lodge a police report as a pre-emptive measure following claims that there would be a riot at the premises.
The July 30 memo, purportedly issued by Hond Tat Industries Sdn Bhd top management, was addressed to its staff and production workers.
The one-page document read: “The management would like to inform all employees (that they) are… not allowed to (pray) during working (hours), except (during) lunch time.
“With immediate effect, if found to be in violation of the order, a fine of RM500 shall be imposed for each offence.”
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weehingthong 