Selangor

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) is unhappy that the appointment of councillors yesterday at Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) has dropped PSM’s representative in the council.

There was a memo put on the signboard at the factory worksite. It claimed that the company Dekor Panel Emas Sdn.Bhd will cease operation in June, 2010 and workers will be retrenched. Two months later suddenly on 25 Jun, 2010,  around 19 workers were puzzled when they could not find their punchcard at the factory exit. They were told to come to the office. Suddenly the workers were given immediate termination notices. No compensation was given nor did they receive their Jun salary.  Nearly all of them have worked for more than 5 years,and some even for 15 years, were shocked to find the company treating them this way.

Recently the Penang State government awarded the cleaners or Pekerja Rendah Awam (PRA) at the Penang local Council with recognition medals and cash rewards from RM 200 to RM 500 per worker. The move has to be applauded as many would take the services of these lowest rung of workers for granted. But medals and cash rewards will make them happy today but not in the long run. They will continue to receive the same miserably low monthly wages.

BALAKONG: This evening, PSM made history yet again when it launched a mini library assembling left and progressive literature. The library, Pustaka Kiri , is an initiative of PSM's Kajang banch with the full backing of the party. Chong Ton Sim - veteran activist as well as long time publisher of progressive books hailed the event as historical as this according to him is the first such library in recent times. But he added the effort should not end there as many more such library and left literature must be spread all round the country. On his part, he said that he is planning to start a Pustaka Nusantara – a book stall comprising of progressive and left literate in this region.