April 06, 2005 20:47 PM Journalist Seeks RM500,000 For Wrongful DismissalSIBU, April 6 (Bernama) -- A former regional news editor with the Borneo Post is seeking more than RM500,000 in loss of earnings and general damages for wrongful dismissal.The newspaper management is only willing to pay about RM96,000 to George Kanapathy, 39, who holds a Masters degree in journalism.He filed the suit through his lawyers Charles Kanapathy and R. Shanker, while George Lim is representing the newspaper.The lawyers from both sides made their submissions before Industrial Court Chairman K. Muniandy at the Labour Department courtroom, here Wednesday.George joined the Borneo Post on July 2, 2001 with a monthly salary of about RM15,000, inclusive of allowances and perks.Shanker told the court that George was promised a life-time job by Borneo Post's Chief Executive Officer Datuk Henry Lau Lee Kong who had aspired to make the paper a national newspaper."My client was seen as a person who had the required expertise to help the paper reach the height," he said.He said Lau's offer included accommodation, a car, telephone and petrol allowance which George was not entitled to when he was with the Sabah post.George was formerly attached to the Daily Express newspaper in Kota Kinabalu, earning RM8,000 a month, he said."Thus, he had no hesitation to accept Lau's offer and uproot his family to start life anew in Kuching only to be illegally dismissed in less than a year," he said.He said the dismissal caused great embarrassment to him as a professional journalist as he had not been able to secure a similar position in any newspaper organisations in the country."George is now back to his former organisation as an assistant editor in a position where he cannot shine and work under his juniors for a monthly salary of RM5,806," he said.He said most of the admissions made by George had gone unchallenged by the defendant in the earlier trial.Lim, in his submission, said his client admitted liability to the dismissal.On George's compensation claims, he said it was purely speculative to say he would be entitled to bonuses and increments in Borneo Post which he had used to estimate his loss of earnings.He said there was no evidence to indicate bonus and increment had been paid to him."It is also speculative he has been offered a lifetime job as there is no permanency in any employment."It is also speculative he is not able to shine in his present position," he added.-- BERNAMA