About 40 workers of the defunct Tamil newspaper urged Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran to intervene to resolve the matter. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — After eight months of waiting for their salary arrears and compensation, about 40 workers of defunct Tamil newspaper Tamil Nesan today urged Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran to intervene to resolve the matter.

Its former editor K. Padmanabhan said he hoped their plight would be looked into urgently.

“We should get our dues with interest as promised in a letter dated Jan 28, 2019.

“We share the joy when the plight of 800 workers of Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd received the attention of the public and government and opposition leaders. We are also hoping that our own crisis will be resolved quickly with the intervention of the minister,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after leading a protest with the former workers, who had served the company between 30 and 40 years, outside the office of their former employer, Datuk Seri S.Vell Paari, in Damansara Heights here.

He said the dues involving Employees Provident Fund contributions and retrenchment benefits for them came close to RM1. 4 million.

The oldest Tamil newspaper in South-east Asia closed down on February 1 after being in operation for 96 years since 1924.

Utusan Melayu almost suffered the same fate this week but was bailed out at the eleventh hour. — Bernama