Banking Industry Gives 3 Months Maternity Leave

Yeah! Not entirely accurate though and I am surprised The Star who wrote an article on this a couple of days ago didn't get their facts right.

Yes the banking industry is giving its employees 3 months maternity leave BUT only for the Unionised Workers. So on top of everything else like extra holidays, contractual bonuses every year, increments that are backdated to like January 2009.....I tell you, if I was a bank clerk, I'd probably be earning more in terms of the entire employement package than I do now!

So, just to clear things up - the Banking Industry has followed the lead of many more Third World countries (think Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Zimbabwe) than Malaysia but only for the Unionised Workers (NUBE - National Union of Bank Employees) and those amount to approximately more than 30,000 employees out there.

For comparison sake, Maybank, Malaysia's largest banking group, boasts a staff force of more than 40,000. And that is just the one bank.

And even worse, recently there have been thoughts (if I can even call them that!!!!! I mean what the TOOT???) that the existing maternity leave of 60 days should be shared with fathers whose wives have just given birth! So they too, could share in the joy of bonding and raising and taking care of baby. This is just typical of Malaysian mentality - when there is an issue, a problem, a concern, shift the spotlight somewhere else and some smart alec suddenly starts questioning this and that and coming up with so called solutions that weren't in question in the first place!!!!!!!!

Observe the common problem-solving technique used in Malaysia:

1. Problem is identified
2. Lots of people make a hoo-ha and the press gets wind of it and publishes about it
3. Gomen gets involved
4. Some senior official tries to think out-of-the-box (benefit of the doubt) OR tries to shift the spotlight (some doubt) OR being their normal dumb self (no doubt), comes up with some harebrained mind map that leads to unheard of/new problems which are neither as critical nor timely as what was originally put on the table
5. Everyone starts talking about the new problem and potential solutions, arguments go back and forth
6. Some senior official decides to keep situations status quo - no change needed
7. Furore dies down
8. Original problem continues to exist and perpetuate
9. Perhaps 5 years down the line, No. 1 pops up again!
10. Repeat.

TA-DA!!!!!!!

Alternate scenario:

1. Steps No. 1-5 are played out
2. Some senior official decides change is required and proceeds to implement change as prescribed in step no. 4. Some lip service is paid to the fact that 'studies need to be implemented, analysed, blah blah'
3. Solution implemented in 3 years plan
4. People start realising that original problem not solved and HEY! the solution implemented by senior officials actually aggravate the original problem
5. Some senior official retracts and changes the whole situation again - revert to status quo. 3 year plan.

HHAhahahhhahaah - I kill myself! :)

In this particular situation - paternity leave gets increased from 3 days to 14 days with the extra 11 taken from the mother's maternity leave leaving mums with 49 days. Which leaves us (read: me) all worse off!!!!!! HAhahahhahahah!!!!!!