KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 – The Human Resource Ministry has taken the initiatives to explain to foreign workers and embassies the postponement of the minimum wage scheme by certain employers in the country. Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam(pic), said this was because some workers had staged a protest and expressed their dissatisfaction over the postponement as they were not informed that their employers were given approval by the government to postpone the implementation of the scheme.
“The ministry has given permission to these employers to postpone the minimum wage scheme after taking into consideration the employers’ financial situation as most of them were found to have suffered losses over the past two to three year.
“For the workers, all they know is that the employer should pay the minimum wage, but with our explanation, they are now able to understand,” he said in response to the demonstration staged by 5,000 Nepalese workers in Muar, Johor,
last Sunday.
Subramaniam said officials from Labour Department from across the country had also been deployed to explain to the workers on the postponement of scheme by several employers. When asked about the postponement period, the minister said the employers were given between three months and till end of this year to finally implement the scheme.
“If they need more time, the employers need to write a request to the government. The government will then look into ways and means to help,” he said. On April 30 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the minimum wage scheme for private sector and said that the rate would be reviewed in every two years.
The minimum wage for workers in the peninsular has been set at RM900 a month, while in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, RM800. On the proposal to set up a special ministry for the Indian community, Subramaniam said:
“The government’s stand is that all ministries in the country should look after all races, and make available enough opportunities and facilities to all Malaysians.
“Creating a ministry just for the Indian community? Then, we will have the Kadazan, Dayak and Iban asking for a special ministry for them too. There will be no end to this,” he added.
BERNAMA
