PM Najib lied about minimum wage? Honesty is always needed from Government

What? PM Najib is not telling the truth again - he says ‘We have only implemented the minimum wage policy for about a year and five months…’ (Malaysian Digest, 3/5/2015, ‘Too soon to review minimum wage’ – Najib)

Wrong PM Najib - Workers in Malaysia started enjoying Minimum Wages on 1/1/2013 - that is 2 YEARS 4 MONTHS 21 DAYS AGO 

Implementation of Minimum Wage Policy by this BN Government starts on about 2010 - when the government started steps to enact the necessary law - then later on 16 July 2012, we finally had our first Minimum Wage Order.

MTUC is right to say that the next Minimum Wage Order should have come out latest by 16 July 2014 - and as such, there is a long delay - about 10 Months now.

Wait - the Law would not have been followed because it says review at least once every 2 years? Since, the last review resulted in the Order of July 2012 - Can we say that the law was not followed?

See earlier post for MTUC's full statement - 

MTUC disappointed that after 2 years and 4 months, workers Minimum Wage rates still not increased

Raise minimum wage now, says MTUC

FMT Reporters

 | May 20, 2015 

The law requires a review every two years and Putrajaya has missed the deadline.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has demanded an immediate review of the minimum wage rates, pointing out that Putrajaya has missed the legal deadline to do so.

The last Minimum Wages Order was issued in July 2012 and a new order should have been out by July 2014 to take effect from January 1, 2015, MTUC Secretary-General N Gopal Kishnam said in a press statement.

“There should be no exemption for any employer, and all workers, including migrant workers, should be treated equally without discrimination,” he said.

The current minimum wage for Peninsular Malaysia is RM900 per month. For Sabah and Sarawak, it is RM800. MTUC is calling for a new rate of at least RM1,200.

The National Wage Consultation Council Act 2011 states that the council shall “at least once in every two years review the Minimum Wages Order”.

“It is May 2015 now and the minimum wage has not been raised,” said Gopal Kishnam.

“The cost of living over the last few years has increased drastically by the removal of subsidies and now the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).”

He said it was unacceptable for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to say at the National Labour Day celebrations in Kuching that the “minimum wage could not be increased now”.

MTUC also voiced its concern over foreign workers who are not being paid the existing minimum wage by certain employers. - FMT, 20/5/2015