What is breach of fiduciary trust? What is
fiduciary trust in principle?
Hubungan majikan-pekerja bolehlah disamakan
dengan perkahwinan. Kedua-duanya bergantung pada tahap kepercayaan dan juga
tolak ansur. But! Dalam marriage, sekiranya salah satu pihak menyebabkan
hilangnya kepercayaan, maka ianya boleh di’selamat’kan atas dasar keyakinan dan
kepercayaan pada satu sama lain, biasanya…
This is a simple way to describe fiduciary
trust between employee and employer, basically the trust level that tie the two
(2) parties together.
However it is opposite when it comes to
employment! Once the trust is not there, there is no reason for the employer to
retain such employee. Misconducts that are Criminal Breach of Trust (CBT), act
of fraudulent (forgery/fraud), destruction or damage of company property and
physical assault on fellow colleagues are some examples that I can quote.
Breach of trust is an act of major
misconduct. Dengan melanggar peraturan dan membuat salahlaku di bawah kategori
ini, pekerja telah menyebabkan majikan hilang kepercayaan kepada mereka.
Bayangkan, seorang pekerja bahagian kewangan
menggunakan float money untuk membeli makan tengahari setiap hari pada setiap
hujung bulan dan akan menggantikannya apabila gaji diterima.
Imagine pula, pekerja anda mengemukakan MC
yang telah diubah untuk membolehkan mereka ‘bercuti’ lebih dari apa yang
disahkan oleh doctor.
Now, how about an employee who physically
assaulted another colleague that caused bodily harm and injury.
All the above are examples of misconducts
that will cause the company to lose faith and confidence upon them. Yang membuatkan
persoalan-persoalan ini timbul – apakah dia akan buat lagi? Can I trust him
again? Is this the truth or is he lying again? Should I assign someone else to
this task?
Bila keyakinan itu tiada, maka bermaksud
majikan tidak mempunyai sebarang kepercayaan kepada pekerja untuk terus disimpan
bekerja.
Apa tindakan anda sebagai majikan?
Terdapat steps or processes yang perlu
dipatuhi bagi memastikan tindakan yang diambil adalah berlandaskan
undang-undang yang ada –
i.
Meneliti fakta kes atau
salahlaku
ii.
Memberikan surat tunjuk
sebab dan penggantungan kerja
iii.
Menilai jawapan kepada
surat tunjuk sebab
iv.
Menjalankan Sesi
Siasatan Dalaman (Domestic Inquiry)
v.
Hukuman berdasarkan
keperluan
Mengapa tindakan gantung kerja dibuat?
Penggantungan kerja ke atas pekerja dibuat di
atas dua (2) dasar iaitu security dan safety.
Security – pekerja yang terlibat mempunyai
akses kepada dokumen-dokumen syarikat dan risau apabila tidak digantung, segala
dokumen yang boleh menyokong kes syarikat untuk membuktikan kes boleh
dihapuskan
Safety – apabila pekerja yang terbabit mendatangkan
risiko keselamatan kepada pekerja-pekerja lain di kelilingnya atas dasar
keselamatan iaitu risiko diserang atau diherdik.
Penggantungan kerja seperti ini adalah dalam
Seksyen 14(2) Akta Kerja 1955 yang menggariskan bahawa penggantungan kerja for
inquiry reasons or investigation is limited to 14 days with half pay. But!
Employee boleh sebenarnya menggantung pekerja melebihi 14 hari dengan syarat bayaran
gaji penuh dibuat penuh bagi tempoh yang melebihi itu. Majikan juga perlu
mengambil kira, bahawa tempoh munasabah adalah perlu untuk melengkapkan
siasatan di atas salah laku yang dilaporkan.
Terdapat banyak kes contoh
yang boleh digunakan untuk menunjukkan betapa pentinganya fiduciary trust on
employees -
In AZAHARI SHAHROM
& Anor. v. ASSOCIATED PAN MALAYSIA CEMENT Sdn. Bhd. [2010] 1 ILR 423 @
436 this Court was of the view that:
“It is trite that the
association between employer and employee out of necessity is fiduciary in
nature. There has to be mutual trust and confidence that one would deal with
the other in all fairness and rectitude over the rights and obligations
flowing between the parties under the employment agreement. If one does an
act or commits an omission which is inconsistent with that fiduciary
relationship then that act or omission will be mala fides. This
principle has equal application as against the employer and the employee in
their respective positions viz. the employment relationship between them.”
In PEARCE v. FOSTER [1886]
(17) QBD 536, Lord Esher MR observed:
“The rule of law is
that where a person has entered into the position of servant, if he does
anything incompatible with the due and faithful discharge of his duty to his
master, the latter has the right to dismiss. The relation of master and
servant implies necessarily that the servant shall be in a position to perform
his duty and faithfully, and if by his own act he prevents himself from doing
so, the master may dismiss him.”
SOIL DYNAMICS (M) Sdn. Bhd. v. YONG FUI KIEW
[2005] 2 ILR 817:
"... the relationship between an employer
and an employee is of a fiduciary character and if the employee does an act
which is inconsistent with the fiduciary relationship then it will be an act
of bad faith for which his services can be terminated.”
Esso Malaysia Berhad v. Chiang Lick Teck
[2003] 2 ILR 716:
“The court endeavours very hard to consider the long service and
unblemished track record of the Claimant. Notwithstanding that, the court is
of the opinion that the claimant's long years of unblemished service do not
immunise the claimant from dismissal”
Pantas Cerah Sdn. Bhd. v. Lau Boon Seng
[1999] 3 ILR 216, it was held:-
“When an employer employs an employee, it is implied the employee
will faithfully with loyalty and honesty further the interest of the employer.
There is a fiduciary relationship between the employer and the employee. An
employee, under the payroll of the employer should not do any act which causes
detriment to the interest of the employer”.
Sime Bank Bhd v. Mohd Shaib Md Yusof [2003] 2 ILR 530:
“The dishonest act of the claimant in
submitting the false medical receipt has breached the fiduciary relationship
of trust between the bank and the claimant.”
Zulkipli Abdul Latif v Sistem Penerbangan
Malaysia Bhd (2006) 3 ILR 1923 (Award
No. 1438 of 2006), the Industrial Court held :
".............
Honesty and integrity
are virtues that
cannot be compromised in
an employee no
matter what position
he holds in an organization. In the instant case the Claimant had, by his
acts of misconduct, not only acted against interest of the Company........ since
the Claimant misconduct marred
the trust and confidence that the Company had in him, the Company was right in
taking the said virtues into account beside the nature and
gravity of the
misconduct committed when
impossing an appropriate
punishment on the Claimant in the circumstances of the instant case."
In the case David Sien Hong Kong v Inchape Malaysia Sdn
Bhd (1980) MLLR 101 the Industries Court held :
The management considered quite reasonably that it was
unsafe for the Company to continue the Claimant in employment for he was found
to have become so unfaithful as to be detrimental to the Company's
business. This Court agrees that an employee in the responsible position of the
Claimant owed a duty of fidelity to the employer at all times, even during his spare
time at the office .....