We refer to your report Is Siva eligible to contest in MTUC polls?

The executive council of National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) views with concern the remarks published in this report and the comments made by A Rajaguru and Jerome Fernandez.

Both these former leaders of the NUTP have underestimated the capability of the 59 NUTP executive council members. Although we are comparatively young and new, we are fully aware with the provisions under the NUTP Rules and Regulations and the Trade Union Act.

Before commenting on NUTP's nomination for the upcoming MTUC elections, Rajaguru should have read the Trade Union Act and then tried to have understood the real situation at hand.

The NUTP executive council has unanimously approved the nomination of N Siva Subramaniam to contest the post of Malaysian Trade Unions Congress (MTUC) secretary-general.

Siva is being nominated as one of the 42 delegates of the NUTP in his capacity as a staff of the NUTP. This is in accordance with the Trade Union Act 1959 paragraph 30 and also the MTUC Regulations 6(6).

NUTP wishes to point out that the present leadership of the MTUC, including its president, Zainal Rampak, its secretary-general, G Rajasekaran, its deputy president, Shafie Mamal and Syed Sharir, are delegates nominated by their respective unions.

It is also important to consider the fact that Siva Subramaniam was nominated by 10 other unions to contest for the MTUC secretary-general's post.

The writer is NUTP president.