KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) urged the government to review the quantum of the minimum wage hike, saying the increase of RM50 in the peninsula was an “insult” to workers.
PSM, in an online petition to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran, said workers will continue to suffer with the new minimum wage of RM1,050 monthly nationwide that will come into effect in January 2019.
“The National Wage Consultative Council has suggested RM1,170 monthly minimum wage, Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) suggested RM1,500, Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) suggested RM 1,800, while the Pakatan Harapan (PH) has promised RM 1,500.
“Yet, the Pakatan Harapan government finally gives in to the will of employers, by increasing the minimum wage by RM50 only,” PSM said in its petition that has over 400 signatories at the time of writing.
PSM asked the PH government to review the minimum wage to fulfill its election promise.
On September 5, the Prime Minister’s Office said the Cabinet has agreed to raise the minimum wage nationwide to RM1,050 a month or RM5.05 per hour effective January 1 next year.
The current minimum wage rate is RM1,000 monthly for the peninsula and RM920 for Sabah and Sarawak.
