Police report lodged against Petra News

Approximately 15 employees of Petra News Sdn Bhd, the publisher of news portals The Malaysian Insight, The Vibes, and Getaran have lodged police reports against the company.

They are demanding the immediate payment of their Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Monthly Tax Deductions (PCB), and Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) contributions for 2024.

A review of their records with EPF, LHDN, and SOCSO 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.

Employees have documented proof of these deductions in their monthly payslips.

The police report was made at the Travers police station in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, on February 14, 2025.

Despite making the 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.

In light of these violations, the employees of The Malaysian Insight, The Vibes, and Getaran demand that Petra News Sdn Bhd immediately settle all outstanding EPF, PCB, and SOCSO contributions for 2024 in accordance with legal requirements.

Beyond un-remitted statutory contributions, employees have also faced delays in salary payments since 2024.

Petra News not complying with JTK hearing

Affected staff have lodged a separate complaint with the Department of Labour (also known by its BM acronym (JTK) under the Human Resources Ministry, which is currently investigating the matter.

However, despite multiple scheduled hearings, Petra News Sdn Bhd has failed to attend the hearings, refused to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and violated prior agreement – for a few complainants- undermining the credibility of the system.

Despite these serious breaches, no enforcement action has been taken against Petra News Sdn Bhd or its owner.

The 15 affected employees also expressed their gratitude to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil for stepping forward in assisting the affected employees since this issue was brought to light.

However, till date many employees continue to struggle with the financial burden caused by the irresponsible actions of the owner.

“Given the urgency of this matter, we, the staff of The Malaysian Insight, The Vibes, and Getaran urge the relevant ministries and authorities to take immediate action against Petra News Sdn Bhd to ensure compliance with labor laws and protect employees’ financial security,” they said in a statement.

Petra News is a company under Petra Group. It is chaired by Datuk Vinod Sekhar.