KUALA LUMPUR: Forty-seven former Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia (LLM) employees are suing LLM and Projek Lebuhraya Usahasama Berhad for allegedly failing to give them a reasonable pension scheme and other benefits after they were instructed to resign following the privatisation of Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan.
The plaintiffs have named LLM and Projek Lebuhraya Usahasama Berhad which is responsible for managing and taking over Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Berhad, as the defendants in their lawsuit filed on April 30.
They claimed that in 1988 they were instructed to resign from LLM and accept an offer to work with Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Berhad, which at that time was carrying out the Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan privatisation plan.
They said as a result of the defendants' actions in implementing the privatisation plan, they had been left with no choice and forced to accept the offer from the second defendant although they were not informed of the complete terms of the work contract.
The former employees alleged that the defendants had caused them to suffer a reduction in benefits, and that the defendants also failed to give them a reasonable pension benefit scheme.
The plaintiffs said the defendants failed to ensure that they have the right to a 13% employer's contribution of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) that they received when they were working with the first defendant.
Instead, the second defendant gave an 11% EPF contribution that was two percentage points less.
In their statement of claim, the former employees are seeking a declaration that they have a right to the 13% EPF contribution by the employer; general, special and exemplary damages; interest; costs; and other relief deemed fit by the court.
The plaintiffs' lawyer Muhamad Syahrul Nizam Mohd Rabi told reporters that High Court deputy registrar Norhatini Abdul Hamid ordered the defendants to file their defence by June 14, and his clients have to reply by June 28.
Muhamad Syahrul said the court fixed July 6 as the next case management before High Court Judicial Commissioner Faizah Jamaludin.
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