Discrimination: Why increase of maternity leave to 90 days only for civil servants?

Najib and the UMNO-led BN government sometimes forgets about the rest of Malaysian workers....and Malaysians.

Again, here we see discrimination in favour of 'civil servants' - people who are employed by the government (Federal, State and Local Councils), MPs and ADUNs. What about the rest of Malaysians who work in the private sector - why is this government not even concerned about them? Surely, 90 days maternity leave should be made a basic worker right, irrespective of whether he works with the government or in the private sector...

Fully-paid maternity leave for civil servants is to increase to 90 days compared to the previous 60 day. - Malaysiakini, 15/10/2010, Salient points in Budget 2011

Other instances of concern only for civil servants...and not workers in the private sector and/or self employed are as follows:-

• A RM500 Special Financial Assistance for Civil servants Grade 54 and below, including contract officers and retirees. Payment will be made in December 2010.

• Maximum housing loan eligibility for civil servants will increase to RM450,000 from RM360,000.- Malaysiakini, 15/10/2010, Salient points in Budget 2011  
  
  

Surely such assistance could be accorded to all workers and those who are self employed that earn below a certain wage.

For the rest of workers, save for security guards, there is still no Minimum Wage - and the statement in the Burdet is that there they will be setting up of a National Wage Consultative Council - which would most likely be consulting...and consulting until the cows come home. It would have been so easy to set a National Floor Minimum Wage now ...and that vague National Wage Consultative Council do the needful and maybe we can get minimum wages later on some day for the different geographic locations, sectors, type of work, etc...

And, guess what it is only a 'Consultative Council' - and this means that they do not really have any power to fix and enforce minimum wages. After consulting, they may tender a report...recommendations to our good PM... and the UMNO-led BN government - who will most likely ignore it just like they have ignored recommendations the King's Royal Commission of Inquiries.... eg. the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

What about SUHAKAM - Malaysia's Human Rights Commission, and this is created by an Act of Parliament, not just a 'Budget Speech' - and yet, I do not believe that the Parliament has yet to discuss their reports and reccomendations as required by law...  

We need an Act of Parliament that will empower the setting up of a Body to fix minimum wages, and with the power of enforcement as well. The Act need be comprehensive determining the clearly the factors that need to be taken into consideration...and most importantly the time frame for periodic reviews, which could be 6 or 12 months. But, as I said Najib  and the UMNO-led BN government can as a matter of policy fix a National Floor Level Minimum Wage... {See earlier posts:- 

Most countries have Minimum Wage Laws, except Malaysia, 

Employers propose minimum wage of RM700-00 per month

34% of Malaysian Workers (not migrant workers) earning below poverty line]

and, reasonably this National Floor Level Minimum wage should be above poverty line wages of RM720...(or maybe even RM700 since employers are agreeable with this sum)

But, alas it looks like our UMNO-led BN government is really not bothered about the rest of Malaysian workers...only the civil servants...and retired civil servants. Is this not discrimination?