FAQ

• How to join NUJ

1) Click on the "Forms" tab on the left panel of the main page of http://nujstar.blogspot.com/

2) Print out 1 copy of the membership form and 2 copies of the deduction forms

3) Fill out the forms and pass them to any of the NUJ-Star committee members (you can look them up on the "Representatives" tab on http://nujstar.blogspot.com/

4) Do include RM20 (RM10 joining fee, RM10 first month fee) together with your forms.

For members based in the bureaus, you can address your form to the branch secretary. Do not attach the money in the mail (in case it goes missing). Instead, call up the secretary and bank it into his/her account.

• Mobile Devices

The company provides two schemes for mobile devices - one which subsidises the price of the gadget, and another which subsidises your monthly data subscription bill.

For both schemes, you are to apply first. You can proceed to buy your device/submit claims for your monthly bill after your application has been approved (from experience, it takes about a month)

1) The Mobile Device Scheme 
Applies to smartphones, cameras, netbooks, laptops and tablets. The company subsidises 80% off the price of the device, provided you stay with the company for three years after signing up for the scheme. Should you resign earlier, you will have to re-pay the subsidised sum (or part of the sum, depending on how soon you leave after signing up for the scheme).

Under the scheme, you can buy any two items, with the total cost capped at RM4,000. You may buy the two items separately, but the application for the second item must be done within 12 months of the first application.

2) The Mobile Data/Voice package reimbursement
As a union member, you are automatically entitled to claim RM65 for voice calls. But with everyone owning a smartphone, the company has introduced a scheme permitting us to claim for RM120 (for both data and voice). If you are claiming the RM120, you are no longer entitled to the RM65.

• Do I get the annual bonus if I resign from the company before the year ends?

Yes, if you have completed at least one full calendar year of employment with the company before resigning.

The annual bonus is listed under Clause 37 of the CA. The provision states that in order to be eligible for a bonus payment, the employee must have completed one calendar year of service with the Company.

CLAUSE 37 - ANNUAL BONUS

(i) (b) Every employee other than an employee on probation shall be paid a bonus payment in respect of his continuous employment with the Company during the whole of every calendar year (1st January to 31st December) or, where an employee is employed by the Company for a portion of a calendar year, a bonus payment proportionate to that portion, in respect of his employment with the Company during that portion of that calendar year, provided that the employee has completed one (1) year's continuous employment with the Company prior to such portion of the calendar year's employment.

Example X:

Date Joined - 1 July 2010

Cessation Date - 13 Nov 2011

(not entitled as X needs to work for the full year of 2010 in order to be eligible for bonus in 2011)

Example Y:

Date Joined - 9 July 2007

Cessation Date - 6 Oct 2011

(entitled - as Y meets requirement of working full year in 2010)

• Can I claim for OC allowance if I am the Late OC (LOC)

Yes, you can

*OC = Officer-in-Charge

• Can I turn down the responsibility of being OC?

Yes you can, but you will have to put it down in writing. Why? There was a precedent in another department (non-editorial), where an employee refused to be OC. His HOD respected this and picked someone else. A year or two later, the person who was OC was promoted while the one who turned it down did not get a promotion, despite the latter being more senior. He lodged a protest, but to no avail. The company uses the OC role to gauge the leadership qualities in employees, and a refusal to accept the role may indicate that the staff is not interested in assuming a leadership role.

•  Book allowance

1) How to utilise the book allowance?
We are allowed to buy work-related books and magazines using the RM450
book allowance (per year). The titles of the publications are the
discretion of your editors. Decide the books/magazines you would like,
and get a verbal okay from your boss. After buying the items, you can
claim for them using the petty cash forms.

2) Can I buy books and magazines online?
Yes, you may do that.

3) Can I buy e-books? 

Yes. (updated 2016-2018 CA)