Guideline Needed Now On New Minimum Wage Mtuc Tells Govt

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MTUC says the new minimum wage of RM1,500 to come into effect on May 1 must apply to all sectors. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has urged Putrajaya to issue a guideline on the implementation of the RM1,500 minimum wage from May 1 as soon as possible.
MTUC secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Mansor said this guideline should be included in the federal gazette for the raising of the minimum wage. He reiterated that there should be no exceptions for its implementation.
Kamarul expressed concern that Putrajaya did not have enough time to hold discussions with stakeholders over the new minimum wage, adding that MTUC was waiting to talk to the government about its mechanism.
“MTUC does not want a repeat of what happened in 2013 when the minimum wage was first enforced. Many employers did not pay according to the minimum wage, with workers forced to go to court over outstanding wages.
Kamarul Baharin Mansor.“MTUC will monitor this issue seriously. The rise in the cost of living has forced the B40 to place a lot of hope in this increase in the minimum wage, and the additional RM300 can relieve their burden,” he said.
Previously, the MTUC leader slammed entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister Noh Omar for deferring the implementation of the new minimum wage for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Kamarul also said he was shocked to find out that Putrajaya agreed to implement the minimum wage for domestic workers too, since there were no discussions on the matter.
He pointed out that domestic workers had been exempted from the minimum wage since its implementation in 2013.
Nonetheless, he welcomed the decision, saying MTUC believed the new minimum wage should apply to all, including domestic workers.- FMT

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