MTUC: Govt must be firm about implementing minimum wage

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) on Monday called on the government to be firm about implementing the RM900 monthly minimum wage plan as scheduled on Jan 1, next year. Its president, Khalid Atan told Bernama that this was because employers had been given ample time and should be ready to put the plan into action by now. Khalid was responding to Small-Medium Industries (SMI) Association of Malaysia president, Teh Kee Sin who wanted the government to review the plan and not to rush its implementation. He said employers had no valid reason to delay the implementation as workers had waited almost 12 years for the plan to materialise. "In fact, MTUC would like the minimum wage to be raised to RM1,200 based on the rising cost of living, especially in urban areas." He explained that the RM900 was proposed by MTUC way back in 1999 and there was no response from the government then. "Actually, the employers should be happy that the workers are not pushing for a raise and have stuck to their old demand," Khalid said. Meanwhile, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) said most of their members were ready for the implementation. "However, it would be better if the government could give small firms a deferment as they need more time to adjust to the new pay scheme," said its executive director, Shamsuddin Bardan. He said that about 4,500 such firms had applied to the National Wage Council (NWC) to consider their plight. The NWC is a tripartite body consisting of government, employers and employees' representatives and is tasked with making recommendations on the wages for the various industries in the private sector. Bernama understands that the NWC, which is scheduled to meet sometime later this month, will look into the applications based on merit. - Bernama