THE new minimum wage that takes effect today, on Labour Day, does not mean anything if the cost of living continues to escalate, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said.

The PKR president said as long as there are no thorough, effective measures to address the rise in cost of living, the new minimum wage of RM1,500 would not bring any significant change to the people.

“As long as the existing system only enriches the elite rather than the fate and rights of the workers, then justice will not be upheld,” the Port Dickson MP said in a Facebook post today. 

In March, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced a minimum wage rate of RM1,500 per month nationwide starting today.

The new minimum wage order was gazetted on Wednesday.

Anwar said that the working class must continue to push for tangible change, while unions must continue to be strengthened to ensure the rights of the working class.

Yesterday, Klang MP Charles Santiago also said the new minimum wage is nothing to shout about as it is still not sufficient to cover workers’ day-to-day living expenses. – May 1, 2022.