Eight Penang Municipal Council workers, who are occupying low medium cost flats in Jalan Veterinari, told a Housing Tribunal that they felt “betrayed” that their employer had built them homes which they claimed were full of defects.

Council worker Mohd Ishak Baba, 43, said the workers felt short-changed as “we were looking forward to our employer taking care of our welfare, including building us quality homes.”

“For two years, we have been living in flats which have multiple defects but our employer has not made efforts to repair them,'' he said at the tribunal hearing yesterday.

Mohd Ishak, together with seven other council workers from various departments, filed claims against the council seeking between RM10,000 and RM16,000 in compensation.

The claimants, led by G. Ramesh, 42, are seeking compensation for repairs they had done to their flats, which were constructed under the council's turnkey housing project.

Ramesh and his colleagues are occupants of units at the two blocks of 22-storey low medium cost flats. The buyers moved into their flats in November 2002.

The claimants alleged that the defects, such as leaking pipes, cracks on the ceiling and walls and uneven floor tiles were caused by the council's negligence.

The council's legal advisor M. Murgan told the tribunal that it did not have the jurisdiction to hear claims by the buyers.

He said this was because the tribunal only had the power to hear claims brought against a licensed housing developer.

“In the five claims filed, the council is not the licensed housing deve-loper following an amendment to the Housing Development Control And Licensing Act 1966.

“The amendment, which came into effect on Dec 1, 2002, states that once a building is completed, the council is no longer deemed to be the housing developer,” he said.

Murgan also said two other house buyers had failed to file their claim within the stipulated 12-month time after the expiry of the defect liability period.

Tribunal president Zamani Ibrahim will deliver his decision today.