Go all out to enforce minimum wage, ex-minister tells Putrajaya

 

Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran said Putrajaya must go all out with enforcement amid complaints that some firms are resisting the implementation of the RM1,500 minimum wage.

The former human resources minister said he met with similar resistance when the minimum wage was increased to RM1,200 in 2020.

"When I was minister and when we increased the minimum wage, I too found many employers who were resistant, but I quickly reminded them of the stern action the government would take if they did not comply. They then complied.

"The non-compliance now is so obvious. The government must go all out to enforce the new minimum wage," he said in a statement.

Kulasegeran added that the government must intervene if firms are using old contracts as an excuse to circumvent the new minimum wage.

"The government has to step in if these employers blame contractual obligations as a reason they are not increasing wages. The government must come up with a plan.

"Malaysia's payment of wages compared to many other countries is much lower. We are nowhere close," he said.

‘Enough of moving backwards’

Kulasegaran pointed out that the minimum wage is still lower than a living wage of RM2,700 in Kuala Lumpur for a single adult.

"For a couple without a child, it would be RM4,500, and for a couple with two children, it would be RM6,500.

"It is high time that the government deliberate on more progressive ideas like that of Singapore's Progressive Wage Model, where it cultivates a drive to increase wages of workers through upgrading skills and improving productivity.

"Enough of moving backwards, the government must push forward. If we do not do something, we can soon see our workers working in countries like Vietnam and Indonesia where wages have drastically improved over the years," he said. - Mkini