THE Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) hopes that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s proposal to raise the welfare aid to RM1,000 will be implemented quickly and no excuses will be given to delay it.

MTUC secretary-general J. Solomon said the proposal should not be bogged down by another long-drawn study before its implementation as the people on the ground are suffering as the cost of living has gone up since Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are glad that the prime minister has personally admitted what we have been claiming all along, that the welfare recipients and workers in the B40 group have suffered for a long time.

“We want to believe that it was a sincere statement from his heart and not a political gimmick in view of the impending Sabah state elections,” he said in a statement today. 

On Sunday, Muhyiddin had suggested that the Welfare Department’s monthly aid of between RM200 and RM300 for needy people be raised to RM1,000.

He said the proposal will be tabled at the cabinet meeting this week.

“I know this statement of mine has a big implication but I don’t care.

“What is important is the livelihood of our people down there… they have suffered for a long time,” Muhyiddin said.

Solomon said it shouldn’t take long for the cabinet to reach a decision on the proposal. 

“This does not require any passing of laws, just a cabinet decision and internal circulars will suffice once the Finance Ministry sources the funds. 

“So not much feedback or studies are necessary as the Welfare Department will have the database of those eligible.”

Apart from the needy, Solomon also urges the cabinet to extend this welfare aid to group in two other categories – Socso pension recipients who get amounts much lower than RM2,000 per month and B40 workers who earn less than RM4,000 a month.

“While B40 workers can be assisted with this special aid monthly until the Covid-19 pandemic is declared under control and a vaccine is found, all Socso pensioners should be entitled for this aid permanently.”

He said that Muhyiddin’s admission that these categories of workers are suffering implies that the current minimum wage of RM1,200 per month is obsolete.

“This was further confirmed after the government raised the poverty line index from a monthly household income of RM980 to a realistic level of RM2,208 two months ago.

“This shows that the B40 category have been paid much less than what they ought to have been earning for several years.”

Solomon said it’s unfair and urged the government to address this injustice to help poor workers. 

“As such, the B40 group should be given allowance until the wages are fixed at a living wage of RM2,700 as recommended by the Bank Negara Malaysia in 2018.”

He also reiterated that for any government to remain in power, it is vital for it to ensure the welfare of the 15 million workers in the country is handled with care as they involve all Malaysians directly or indirectly. – September 1, 2020.