Nine claim they were sacked for speaking out on illegal sand mining

Petaling Jaya (The Star/ANN) - Nine employees of the sole Selangor sand mining concessionaire are claiming that they paid a high price for speaking out about alleged irregularities in the firm's operations.

The Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) employees claimed that they were sacked or forced to resign over a five-month period beginning August last year.

Some have lodged police reports over alleged intimi-dation by the management, while others are taking their cases to the industrial court for constructive dismissal.

Controversy erupted following claims of sand theft and corruption that apparently drained hundreds of millions of ringgit, according to a report in The Star last year.