UNHAPPINESS over the RM50 increase in minimum wage will be brought to the cabinet again next week to consider views from the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).

Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran said this today after receiving a memorandum from the MTUC at Parliament demanding a higher minimum wage than the RM1,050 approved by Putrajaya recently.

Kulasegaran said he agreed to bring up the matter in the cabinet after hearing views from the representatives of 17 unions today.

“I will bring this up to the cabinet to review their (unions’) views and for the cabinet to make a decision,” he told reporters.

Earlier today, more than 100 members from the MTUC demonstrated outside Parliament to demand a higher minimum wage.

Led by MTUC secretary-general J. Solomon, they then submitted their memorandum to Kulasegaran, who came out to meet the protestors and invited them for a discussion.

Last month, the government announced an RM50 increase for the minimum wage in the peninsula, raising it to RM1,050 which workers slammed as a measly token that fell far short of the RM1,500 promised in the Pakatan Harapan election manifesto.

The new minimum wage also applies to Sabah and Sarawak, which was RM920 previously, to standardise the wage nationwide.

The minimum wage was first set in 2013 at RM900 for the peninsula and RM800 for Sabah Sarawak and last raised in 2016 before this round.

Kulasegaran also explained why the government only approved of the RM50 increase.

“It is due to the economic situation of the country today. Another factor is that the nation has a huge debt which this government only realised after taking power,” he said. – October 17, 2018.

MORE TO COME