MTUC threatens to march in Putrajaya over price of goods

 

The memorandum outlined the need for the government to monitor the rise in prices of goods and services.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has threatened to march and gather in Putrajaya if the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry fails to respond to a memorandum it submitted on April 1.

The memorandum outlined the need for the government to monitor the rise in prices of goods and services and also urged the ministry to carry out more frequent monitoring to tackle this issue.

In a statement today, MTUC secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Mansor said it had yet to receive a response from the ministry, and warned that a gathering in Putrajaya might be its next action if the ministry did not respond.

“We did not send the memorandum to attack any particular party but for appropriate action to be taken.

“We need to ensure that Malaysian consumers, especially workers, are not burdened by the rising prices of goods and services that go unchecked,” he said.

He expressed concern over how the prices of goods were expected to increase further, with essential goods reportedly set to rise by 60% next month.

The implementation of the RM1,500 minimum wage would also contribute to the rise in prices, he said, with businesses possibly taking advantage of this excuse to increase prices.

“Although the increased minimum wage of RM1,500 will improve purchasing power, businesses should not be taking advantage of this to increase prices,” he said.

Kamarul also called for harsher action against businesses that intentionally hoarded goods from consumers or halted production temporarily to force the government to allow the increase in prices of goods. - FMT