PETALING JAYA: Several opposition MPs have hit out at the government for its flip-flop policy on minimum wage, saying its latest stand did not make any sense.
They said the government lacked the political will to implement a mininum wage scheme for all workers in the country.
They accused Human Resources Minister S Subramaniam of backpedalling when he said yesterday that the scheme may not be made a national policy but could be based on sectorial and industrial needs.
The minister had said on Aug 5 that the government was keen to come up with a national minimum wage scheme.
Klang MP Charles Santiago said the alternative approach did not make any sense.
“It does not make any sense to apply a minimum wage to a particular sector. The minimum cost of living applies to everyone, not just employees from certain sectors,” he said.
“This issue involves workers from all walks of life and not from certain sectors,” he added.
A confused man
Santiago, a former economics lecturer, said Subramaniam was a confused man for backtracking from his initial statement on Aug 5 that the government was finally considering a national minimum wage policy.
“This shows that the government has no political will to implement the minimum wage scheme.”
He cited a study by the Human Resources Ministry on wages in the country, which revealed that almost 34% or about 1.3 million workers earned less than RM700 a month, below the poverty line of RM720 per month.
Sungai Siput MP Michael Jeyakumar said Subramaniam was backpeddling on the issue.
“This government is not people-centric. Its policies favour mostly the corporate people. It has taken away the subsidies and now it seems it does not have the political will to implement a minimum wage scheme,” he added.
Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad said that a national minimum wage policy must be implemented to help the lower income group.
“The minister himself had admitted that 34% of Malaysians are earning below RM700 a month. Therefore, a minimum wage policy must be implemented to help those living in this income bracket.”
He added that a national minimum wage policy is one way to propel the country to a high-income economy.
However, he said any minimum wage policy must also include a programme to train workers.
“The government must conduct training courses for these workers to hone their skills as most of them are SPM school leavers. If they are able to get a certificate or a diploma, it will definitely help them earn a better salary,” Dzulkefly said.
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