33. Employees Picket
Amended version at 10.10 am
This picket by private sector workers for a minimum wage of RM900 per month is long overdue and needs serious consideration. See here Bernama report.
It may not look the best way to solve the problem of minimum wage, but it certainly has highlighted and brought to attention "the long talked about and nothing done" situation into focus for a settlement.
In fact with inflation and cost of living creeping in, it is high time a minimum wage bill is introduced in the country. Looking realistically at wages and cost of living, even at RM 1000 per month, a worker today has to do more than one job to make ends meet.
What if he is married and with three (average) and not five school-going children. Do the the arithmetic and you will see that he needs a working wife and if possible doing another job.
With the latest pay revision, the Government on its part has ensured this minimum wage. Well done to the Government for taking the lead to be a model employer. If an employer cannot pay this minimum monthly wage of RM 1000/- he has no reason to employ a worker and to be in business. But if you employ, then pay him what he deserves to live.
We are today, in Malaysia, living in a very sophisticated world. Besides our basic necessities of living, we need to have a house (no more squatters) , have to travel to work (a motor cycle or bus), and some entertainment (a radio and TV). And what about all these for the growing children and elderly parents if there are any.
I am not talking about food and clothing any more as basic necessities. Can't the employers and politicians look at their brethren workers who cannot even make ends meet.
Don't think of unemployment and its consequences. This is where the Government should now seriously think of the social security benefits for the unemployable and unemployed as in the west.
Although the economy has to be stimulated for full employment but it cannot be done by exploiting workers below basic minimum wage. We are by no means chasing away foreign investors. We are just letting them know that this is the labour cost in this country. The labour cost in India, China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos will always be lower than Malaysia whether we impose a minimum wage or not.
If the diverse number of groups falling under the minimum wage for workers and employees is the concern, then categorise them by sectors and work functions and state the conditions for that minimum wage to be applicable. Don't dismiss outright the workers claim for higher wages. That minimum wage should come from profits, reserves and even at the cut of the high and excessive salaries paid to the directors and management of the companies.
Looking at developed nation status by 2020, workers and employees should not be left out and be exploited to achieve this.
