A group of contract-based maintenance and support staff working at government buildings have urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to intervene in their wage dispute.
More than 40 people gathered near the main entrance of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Putrajaya today to perform a silent demonstration about their predicament this morning.
With Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and the Government Contracts Workers’ Network (JPKK), the group sent a memorandum to the prime minister that details their job struggles.
The group, which includes cleaners, security guards, and gardeners, alleged that the public agencies they are contracted under have withheld the full amount of their minimum wage.
The workers come from lower-income households and are often the main breadwinners of their families.
They came to protest today from across the nation, including from Negeri Sembilan and Kedah.
The workers claimed that these agencies unfairly used the six-month grace period (until July 1) to start paying the new minimum wage of RM1,500.
The grace period was an extension given by Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar last December to companies with fewer than five employees.
This period was meant for these micro companies to “balance their finances”.
This extension is actually the second one granted to employers after the new minimum wage was gazetted in April 2022.
The first extension was made during the administration of former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, which pushed the implementation date from May 1, 2022 to Jan 1, 2023.
Resolve minimum wage issue
PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan said the new government should seriously look into solving the minimum wage issue as it is yet to be enforced, nine months on after its implementation in May last year.
He added that the group decided to hold a picket outside of the PMO this morning because they were aware a cabinet meeting would be held at 9.30am.
“The workers thought it was the only way they could get the attention of the cabinet members because all the letters and complaints they’ve sent were never heeded,” he said.
According to him further, some of the workers have been working for decades, but when the new contractors get appointed every three years, the former lose their seniority.
‘Cancel extension, abolish contract system’
The workers’ memorandum was handed to two persons identifying themselves as representatives of the prime minister.
In it, the workers demanded for the minimum wage grace period to be cancelled, and for the RM1,500 minimum wage to be implemented as soon as possible.
JPKK coordinator S Tinagaran said the contract workers were earning an average of RM1,200 per month, not including overtime pay, as well as Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Socso) contributions.
“Sometimes their salaries are delayed or paid partially for an extended amount of time.
“When they complained to their agencies, they were told the agencies themselves were not paid by the government on time, which delayed the workers’ wage payments.
“These agencies would then tell the workers to take it up with the government but the workers know it is not their responsibility to do so,” he said.
Tinagaran added that cancelling the minimum wage extension would force the government and its agencies to commit to paying minimum wage earners their full salaries.
Contract worker woes
In the memorandum, the workers also demanded that the contract system be abolished, an issue which JPKK raised last year.
JPKK secretary M Sivaranjani said these contract-based employees are not guaranteed permanent positions and have little to no job security.
Those who dared to file complaints against their agencies about mistreatment or unpaid wages, she said, will be sacked first, then transferred to work in different states under different agencies without their consent.
“Contract workers feel like their future is very bleak because the minute they become accustomed to their positions, suddenly they get fired.
“To add to their non-secure jobs, those under contracts are often exploited. They are overworked but not guaranteed overtime pay and allowances, and their agencies will just tell them it’s because they are not permanent staff,” Sivaranjani said.
The workers also called for a direct hiring process by the government instead of having to go through third parties.
This is to have better communication with the government as any complaints through a third party may get “lost in translation”.
“The workers feel like the government is not aware of what is going on ‘down here’ because it does not directly deal with the staff.
“The government is probably not aware of the plight of contract workers,” Sivaranjani added.
Lastly, the workers wanted the government to check if the agencies who requested minimum wage extensions had good reasons to do so.
Sivaranjani said it is fair if the agencies are actually struggling financially, but alleged there are agencies that were financially capable and were just abusing the process to continue treating their employees unfairly.
“Make those preliminary checks and find out why exactly they want extension after extension. There must be a solid reason,” she said.
‘Living paycheck to paycheck’
A woman who wished to be known as Husnawati came from Perlis for today’s demonstration.
While she declined to say what she worked as exactly, she told Malaysiakini she has worked for the government for the past 15 years on minimum wage.
The 49-year-old said she started with a salary of RM600 until her promotion a few years ago when it was doubled to RM1,200.
Husnawati said if overtime pay, allowances, EPF, and Socso allocations were included, she should be receiving RM1,700 per month.
However, she lamented that her agency still only pays her between RM1,200 and RM1,400 per month.
“They kept telling me my salary was delayed because the administration was not paying them enough.
“They told me to wait and to be patient.
“At the time of my promotion, my four children were still in school and my husband also worked minimum wage. Our salaries combined were not enough to support the entire family,” Husnawati shared.
She mentioned that on top of her immediate family, she was also the caretaker of her elderly parents and in-laws.
She said she had to fork out much of her savings to buy adult diapers, medications, and food, as well as pay her bills and rent.
Since her children have graduated, she admitted that some of her burdens were lifted but that she was still struggling to some extent.
“Even though I can say I am not struggling financially as badly as before, I still live paycheque to paycheque.
“The agency rarely pays my EPF and Socso. When I checked my accounts, I realised I cannot retire anytime soon or even retire,” she said.
Husnawati said she hoped the memorandum would spur the government to treat all workers equally, especially those who are in a similar situation as herself.
“I believe the prime minister can help us and God willing, we would finally be lifted from our plight.” - Mkini
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