MINIMUM WAGE, WAITING CONSIDERATION

By : FIZAH YUSOF

THE implementation of minimum wage - RM900 for Peninsular Malaysia and RM800 for Sabah and Sarawak has received a mixed response from various parties.

As the Minister in charge of Resource Development which includes human resource, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Resource Development and IT Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai, issued  a press statement today, stating that the Sabah State Cabinet has decided that in view of the various teething difficulties faced by both the employers and employees during the early implementation of the minimum wage policy, the State Government is prepared to channel the views and recommendations from both sides to the Federal Government for consideration.

He said this is to ensure that the implementation of the minimum wage policy can be fine-tuned in the interest of the people of Sabah.

The President of the Federation of Sabah Manufacturers (FSM), Datuk Seri Panglima Wong Khen Thau, expressed the view that if the minimum wage was basically intended to benefit the employees,  the employers' perspective must also be considered.

He said the employers in Sabah are going to be the hardest hit because they are required to fill a much bigger wage gap compared to their Peninsular and Sarawak counterparts.

He pointed out that in Sabah the median wage was RM577.40, RM200 short of the minimum wage of RM800.00. For Sarawak, the average monthly wage was RM738.71, only marginally lower than the statutory minimum wage. In Peninsular Malaysia, the minimum wage was below the former minimum wage which was RM1, 134.25.

"It is not true that the employers in Sabah refused to give higher salary to their workers. He said the constraining factor is the high cost of living in Sabah.

He expressed concern that with the implementation of the minimum wage the living cost in Sabah would go up higher.

"A high income economy must not be equated with high living standard," he said. (Insight Sabah)