Drop demand for RM900 minimum wage, MTUC told

Drop demand for RM900 minimum wage, MTUC told
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/6/27/nation/18139163&sec=nation

SEREMBAN: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress should be practical and drop its demand for a RM900 minimum wage for all private sector employees, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Fong Chan Onn.

Yes we still have people earning less than RM900 per month in Malaysia.

He said that if the Government were to comply with the demand, the country would lose its competitive edge.

I wonder how, by introducing minimum wage policy, will the country lose its competitive edge. The minister does not elaborate.

“Let’s be reasonable, we cannot allow our economy to be too rigid,” he said, adding that a blanket ruling could not be applied to workers in all sectors.

Dr Fong said the Government was prepared to discuss the matter with the MTUC but adopting a confrontational approach would not benefit anyone.

Yesterday, the MTUC organised one-hour pickets at several locations in the country. The biggest was held outside the EPF headquarters in Jalan Raja Laut in Kuala Lumpur in which some 1,000 workers participated.

I'm sure that these low wage earners are already being reasonable by organizing pickets and going through proper channels. If they were unreasonable, they would already be resorting to criminal activity to support their lives. Again, the minister does not elaborate what he means by the economy being too rigid.

Apart from the minimum wage, the MTUC is also demanding a RM300 cost of living allowance (Cola) for private sector workers.

“If we have a minimum wage of RM900, we would have to pay foreign maids as well as part-time workers the same amount. We can’t do that for everyone,” said Dr Fong.

Why is paying RM900 to foreign maids and part-time workers a problem?

The minister, however, admitted that a minimum wage could be introduced for workers in certain sectors such as dock workers and cargo handlers.

The minimum wage for most other sectors should be left to market forces, he said.

Why only these sectors? The minister again does not elaborate.

BLA BLA BLA!