KUALA LUMPUR: Approximately 15 employees of Petra News Sdn Bhd, the publisher of news portals The Malaysian Insight, The Vibes, and Getaran, are demanding the immediate payment of their Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Monthly Tax Deductions (PCB), and Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) contributions for 2024.
In a joint statement, they said that a review of their records with EPF, LHDN, and PERKESO revealed that while statutory deductions had been made from their salaries, Petra News Sdn Bhd had failed to remit both employee and employer contributions to the relevant authorities.
“Despite making these deductions, the company has failed to fulfill its legal obligation to submit payments, effectively withholding employees’ statutory contributions illegally.
This failure has caused financial distress for employees, including loan application rejections due to uncredited EPF contributions. Employees also fear facing penalties from LHDN when filing their income tax returns,” they said, adding that they have lodged a police report at the Travers police station in Brickfields on Feb 14.
In addition to these claims, the statement stated that staff affected by delayed salary payments since 2024 have lodged a separate complaint with the Labour Department, which is currently investigating the matter and that Petra News has failed to attend multiple scheduled hearings and refused to sign a memorandum of understanding.
“Despite these serious breaches, no enforcement action has been taken against Petra News Sdn Bhd or its owner,” the staff pointed out.
They also expressed their gratitude to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil for stepping forward to assist the affected employees since this issue was brought to light and urged the relevant authorities to take immediate action against Petra News to ensure compliance with labor laws and protect employees’ financial security.
