May 29, 2007
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) will first use the soft approach in urging the Government to enforce a national minimum monthly wage of RM900 in the private sector.
If that fails, the congress will start holding pickets at strategic locations before calling for a one-day nationwide strike.
President Syed Shahrir Syed Mohamud said that the minimum wage scheme was needed to eradicate poverty in the country.
“Millions of private sector workers still earn RM400 to RM500 per month and can barely cope with the rising cost of living.
“We want the private sector to emulate the Government in terms of ensuring that workers' basic salaries are not below the poverty income level (of RM691 per month),” he said,
Syed Shahrir said that the MTUC's general council which met last week decided to send a memorandum to this effect to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on June 20.
The MTUC is also demanding that employers pay an additional RM300 as cost of living allowance (Cola) above the RM900 minimum wage for every private sector worker.
“The payment of Cola is not something new. It was introduced in the mid-70s when the cost of living escalated and caused hardship to the people due to high global crude oil prices then,” he said.
Similarly, the high fuel prices and increasing cost of goods and services over the past few years have posed tremendous hardship to the people, especially those in the lower income bracket, he said.
Syed Shahrir said that thousands of union leaders and workers from all over the country were expected to gather in Putrajaya to submit the memorandum to the Prime Minister.
He said that there would be protests at strategic locations if there was no positive feedback from the Government on the memorandum.
“We also plan a one-day nationwide strike if the Government continues to ignore our memorandum.”
