G-Team Resources maintains that it is not responsible for the water cuts because it did not sign the initial agreement.
PETALING JAYA: G-Team Resources Sdn Bhd owner G Gnanalingam who was painted as a white knight-turned-villain following water cuts in Tumbuk Estate near Banting has denied that his company is responsible.
“The workers have been enjoying free water and electricity. G-Team categorically is not responsible for the water meter as explained by Syabas representative in the meeting last month.
“The water was cut off because the residents are not paying the bills. The total bill is RM16,000,” Gnanalingam said in a press statement to FMT.
He said this in response to FMT’s report on Monday on the plight of Tumbuk Estate residents who claimed that G-Team did not pay their water bill in a bid to evict the workers.
PSM secretary-general and Oppressed People’s Network (Jerit) spokesman S Arutchelvan also told FMT that G-Team is duty-bound to supply water in accordance with the Estate Housing and Amenities Act 1990.
On the issue of the agreement in 2006, Gnanalingam acknowledged that only 22 workers were interested in the workers’ housing scheme.
(The residents are former estate workers whose services were terminated in March 2006. Subsequently, Maika signed an agreement with the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW) to allow the former workers to continue living in their quarters rent-free until houses were built for them. Under the agreement, Maika would commence construction of the housing scheme in April 2008, but this has not happened.)
Land offer turned down
“Only 22 workers showed interest in participating in the housing scheme and deposited their ex-gratia payments totalling RM201,000 with Maika Holdings Bhd (MHB) to facilitate the downpayment for the houses to be built,” said Gnanalingam.
He also said that Maika had offered land to the people there but they had turned it down.
“In 2008, land was given next to the Tamil school but the workers rejected it because it is next to a pig farm. Another 3.88 acres of land were allotted to them but they also rejected it because of subdivision criteria.”
He also claimed that the families were more interested in obtaining cash than in owning houses.
“A total of 16 out of 22 families already owned their own houses outside (the estate) and had shown no interest in the land.
“The rest stayed on because they could not pay for the house as some were unemployed,” said Gnanalingam.
Gnanalingam, who is also Westports chairman in Port Klang, said that G-Team had offered RM25,000 with an ex-gratia payment of RM201,000 with an interest of four percent to the workers shortly after G-Team had taken over the estate, which was accepted by 14 of the 22 family members.
“All the workers signed the document which had their name and the value.
“Following this, 14 out of 22 workers accepted the cash ranging from RM35,000 to RM42,000 each. The money given was not in MHB’s book,” he said, adding that eight workers refused to accept the compensation.
Outstanding bill settled
Gnanalingam said that at a meeting of the Selangor executive council, councillor Xavier Jayakumar’s office decided to accept the decision of the majority who took up the offer.
Gnanalingam also blamed Jerit for the failure in the negotiations that took place on Thursday.
“Last month, G-Team was called by Selangor Labour Office to discuss the current issue. The matter was explained in the meeting together with the NUPW officer.
“NUPW had asked five days to come back with a proposal to resolve the issue, but it did not return.
“The next meeting was called on Thursday but again, it failed to resolve anything because the workers were not represented by NUPW as they chose to follow the advice of some NGOs.”
Meanwhile in a related development, Jerit coordinator E Nalini informed FMT that the outstanding bill was settled by representative from G-Team.
“The Tumbuk Estate residents were told that RM4,000 was paid to settle their water bills,” said Nalini.
PETALING JAYA: G-Team Resources Sdn Bhd owner G Gnanalingam who was painted as a white knight-turned-villain following water cuts in Tumbuk Estate near Banting has denied that his company is responsible.“The workers have been enjoying free water and electricity. G-Team categorically is not responsible for the water meter as explained by Syabas representative in the meeting last month.
“The water was cut off because the residents are not paying the bills. The total bill is RM16,000,” Gnanalingam said in a press statement to FMT.
He said this in response to FMT’s report on Monday on the plight of Tumbuk Estate residents who claimed that G-Team did not pay their water bill in a bid to evict the workers.
PSM secretary-general and Oppressed People’s Network (Jerit) spokesman S Arutchelvan also told FMT that G-Team is duty-bound to supply water in accordance with the Estate Housing and Amenities Act 1990.
On the issue of the agreement in 2006, Gnanalingam acknowledged that only 22 workers were interested in the workers’ housing scheme.
(The residents are former estate workers whose services were terminated in March 2006. Subsequently, Maika signed an agreement with the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW) to allow the former workers to continue living in their quarters rent-free until houses were built for them. Under the agreement, Maika would commence construction of the housing scheme in April 2008, but this has not happened.)
Land offer turned down
“Only 22 workers showed interest in participating in the housing scheme and deposited their ex-gratia payments totalling RM201,000 with Maika Holdings Bhd (MHB) to facilitate the downpayment for the houses to be built,” said Gnanalingam.
He also said that Maika had offered land to the people there but they had turned it down.
“In 2008, land was given next to the Tamil school but the workers rejected it because it is next to a pig farm. Another 3.88 acres of land were allotted to them but they also rejected it because of subdivision criteria.”
He also claimed that the families were more interested in obtaining cash than in owning houses.
“A total of 16 out of 22 families already owned their own houses outside (the estate) and had shown no interest in the land.
“The rest stayed on because they could not pay for the house as some were unemployed,” said Gnanalingam.
Gnanalingam, who is also Westports chairman in Port Klang, said that G-Team had offered RM25,000 with an ex-gratia payment of RM201,000 with an interest of four percent to the workers shortly after G-Team had taken over the estate, which was accepted by 14 of the 22 family members.
“All the workers signed the document which had their name and the value.
“Following this, 14 out of 22 workers accepted the cash ranging from RM35,000 to RM42,000 each. The money given was not in MHB’s book,” he said, adding that eight workers refused to accept the compensation.
Outstanding bill settled
Gnanalingam said that at a meeting of the Selangor executive council, councillor Xavier Jayakumar’s office decided to accept the decision of the majority who took up the offer.
Gnanalingam also blamed Jerit for the failure in the negotiations that took place on Thursday.
“Last month, G-Team was called by Selangor Labour Office to discuss the current issue. The matter was explained in the meeting together with the NUPW officer.
“NUPW had asked five days to come back with a proposal to resolve the issue, but it did not return.
“The next meeting was called on Thursday but again, it failed to resolve anything because the workers were not represented by NUPW as they chose to follow the advice of some NGOs.”
Meanwhile in a related development, Jerit coordinator E Nalini informed FMT that the outstanding bill was settled by representative from G-Team.
“The Tumbuk Estate residents were told that RM4,000 was paid to settle their water bills,” said Nalini.
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