PETALING JAYA, Sept 22 ― Employers must comply to the Minimum Wages Scheme and there should be no more excuses said Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) president Mohd Khalid Atan.

Mohd Khalid said there is no reason for not complying as time has been given to the employers to meet the requirements.

“The act has been implemented and everyone should comply. There should not be any excuses or reasons at this level,” he said.

Mohd Khalid said the congress believes the inability to pay the minimum wage is a deliberate act by some employers who just refuse to adhere to the law.

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“We have been hearing the same excuses for the past two to three years and it is time to push for a full implementation.”

Mohd Khalid said there should not be any flexibility for anyone as the law has been implemented and no one should be exempted from paying the minimum wage.

“MTUC are in support of the full implementation and no one should be giving any more reasons to not comply. It is a policy for all workers.”

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Mohd Khalid said the Labour Department must focus on implementation and conduct strict enforcement.

Meanwhile, checks by Malay Mail in Petaling Jaya revealed that smaller businesses do have the capacity to pay the minimum wage of RM900.

Ben Hew, who owns Hewsonix Sdn Bhd in Old Town, revealed he is able to pay his employee up to RM1,400 a month and even provide accommodation for his staff.

“I have three employees and I believe RM900 is a fair amount for minimum wage. It is not too high and it is not too low.”

Hew said the law has been implemented and employers must adhere to the rules.

“If the authorities stricken the rules then it will definitely benefit employees.”

Hew also said smaller businesses in different sectors can consider of giving a basic of RM800 with additional benefits that would amount to more than RM900.

“Employers need to be able to understand and tolerate the needs of their employees and by meeting this requirement, employees would benefit from it.”