MTUC to employers group: Stop giving 'lame' reasons to stall minimum wage raise

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has criticised the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) for coming up with "lame" reasons to allegedly prevent workers from receiving decent wages.

Workers in East Malaysia, in particular, have been shortchanged by the BN government in the past, claimed MTUC secretary-general J Solomon in a statement today.

"The MEF cannot be ignorant of the fact that the minimum wage in East Malaysia is below the poverty line.

"How much more exploitation should the East Malaysian workers be subjected to?"

Solomon's response comes after MEF executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said that low labour productivity must be addressed before a standardised minimum wage can be introduced across the country.

Shamsuddin was quoted as saying by The Malaysian Insight that the new Pakatan Harapan government's promise to equalise minimum wage nationally within its first 100 days must take into account the burden on businesses, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.

Solomon, however, noted how the previous BN government had ignored issues concerning workers and how minimum wage levels were grossly inadequate.

"Productivity is used as a reason for this, though are we really unproductive as a nation?

"Productivity can be enhanced through the elimination of corruption and better management by employers," he said.

Solomon further stressed how companies’ management failures should not burden workers, especially those from the lower income group.

Employers, he added, had benefited from the corrupt management of the East Malaysian states.

"The economies of both the states were raped and pillaged by a small minority of people, which was abetted by the then federal government.

"In this process, income inequality grew and the poor have become poorer. This must stop and we cannot continue to allow the rakyat to bear the burden of corruption and inefficiencies."

As such, Solomon said the MEF should “look at the interest of the common people”, so that the economy as a whole as well as businesses would benefit.

"The greed for profits should not take precedence over the right of every worker to earn a decent wage," said Solomon. -Mkini