This country belongs to all Malaysians - and we pool our resources, and choose our representatives, who form the government and run the country ...and to do that we employ workers - known as the public sector workers..
But now, our workers...our employees the public sector workers are treated so much better.. their minimum wage is RM1,200, whilst private sector worker minimum wage is RM1,000 for Peninsular(lower in Sabah and Sarawak)...what about access to public healthcare, what about old age provisions ???
NO DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYEES
The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) is urging the
government to extend the same health care privilege to private sector
employees upon retirement. Currently, pensioners from the public sector
were given priority over retired private sector employees.
Private sector employees had also contributed to the development of
the nation like paying their income tax and other form of indirect taxes
during their productive years. They should not be marginalized or
neglected once they have retired. We should value their services and one
of the ways is to ensure their health care is taken care of during old
age including specialist treatment.
The problem is that they may use their EPF to pay for their medical
bills in private hospitals in case of a major surgery. The EPF is to
sustain them after retirement but a recent report indicates only one in
five contributors have enough money to tide them over when they were no
longer employed. Retired employees will have one less problem to worry
if their medical expenses were taken care of.
MTUC wants the government to look into this matter following
revelation that only 22% of the 6.7 million EPF active contributors aged
54 years have sufficient savings of RM196,800 or more to sustain
themselves during retirement. EPF Head of Strategy Management Department
Balqais Yusoff said the other 78% of the contributors did not have the
basic amount for their retirement years. She said of the total active
EPF contributors, 65% had less than RM50,000 in their savings.
Where retirees will need at least RM820 a month in their retirement
years, those who have RM50,000 in EPF can go on for five years only
before their savings run out. MTUC agrees with Balqais that that RM820
is probably sufficient for grocery shopping. We also want the government
to look into housing woes and also to ensure retired workers had
sufficient funds to maintain themselves. As such, a new approach must be
looked into by the government so that the welfare of retired private
sector is not sidelined.
N. GOPAL KISHNAM
Secretary General
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