Close to 1,000 employers and employees held a peaceful demonstration in Putrajaya today to protest the minimum wage policy for foreign workers which came into effect earlier this month.
The protesters gathered at a field outside the Human Resource Ministry, shouting slogans and displaying placards demanding the resignation of minister S Subramaniam for the government’s ‘mistakes’.
The protest was organised by the Steering Committee of Minimum Wage Implementation, representing 57 NGOs.
Committee member Goh Chin Siong criticised Subramaniam, describing him as “a foreign workers minister”, and claiming that the policy will benefit only some 4 percent of Malaysians.
Imitating ‘Kak Listen’, Goh (left) got the crowd to shout along with him: "The nation has problems, business has problems, taukeh have problems, workers have problems, we support Malaysians (getting) RM900, we reject RM900 (for) foreign workers... listen, listen, listen!”
While the NGOs are in support of a minimum wage for local workers, he said they are against the policy because it will benefit up to four million foreign workers.
Goh claimed that operators of 600,000 small- and medium-scale industries will also be affected as their wage bill will now go up by RM1.8 billion.
The protesters gathered at a field outside the Human Resource Ministry, shouting slogans and displaying placards demanding the resignation of minister S Subramaniam for the government’s ‘mistakes’.The protest was organised by the Steering Committee of Minimum Wage Implementation, representing 57 NGOs.
Committee member Goh Chin Siong criticised Subramaniam, describing him as “a foreign workers minister”, and claiming that the policy will benefit only some 4 percent of Malaysians.
Imitating ‘Kak Listen’, Goh (left) got the crowd to shout along with him: "The nation has problems, business has problems, taukeh have problems, workers have problems, we support Malaysians (getting) RM900, we reject RM900 (for) foreign workers... listen, listen, listen!”While the NGOs are in support of a minimum wage for local workers, he said they are against the policy because it will benefit up to four million foreign workers.
Goh claimed that operators of 600,000 small- and medium-scale industries will also be affected as their wage bill will now go up by RM1.8 billion.
The group submitted a copy of the memorandum to the minister through the National Minimum Wages Consultative Council secretary, T Shanmugam.
Later, the group marched to the Prime Minister Department to submit the memorandum to the premier as they shouted "listen, listen, listen" in high spirits, despite the hot weather.
Five delegates were allowed to enter to see an aide of the premier, Saiful Azahar, to submit their memo, while the rest sat outside the side entrance of the department and waited patiently.
The committee president and Malacca Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Tan Poh Seng said that they will submit the memo to all the parliamentarians.
He said that the National Minimum Wages Consultative Council Act was passed in the Parliament, so the parliamentarians were the ones who needed to rectify the problems.
Earlier, Tan in his speech, had urged the government to suspend the new system until a better solution arises.
Later, the group marched to the Prime Minister Department to submit the memorandum to the premier as they shouted "listen, listen, listen" in high spirits, despite the hot weather.Five delegates were allowed to enter to see an aide of the premier, Saiful Azahar, to submit their memo, while the rest sat outside the side entrance of the department and waited patiently.
The committee president and Malacca Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Tan Poh Seng said that they will submit the memo to all the parliamentarians.
He said that the National Minimum Wages Consultative Council Act was passed in the Parliament, so the parliamentarians were the ones who needed to rectify the problems.
Earlier, Tan in his speech, had urged the government to suspend the new system until a better solution arises.
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