PUTRAJAYA,
Sept 28 — The government hopes to implement the minimum wage policy by the end
of this year, the human resource minister said today.
“The government hopes a minimum wage rate can
be announced by the end of the year, so the council has about two-and-a-half
months to propose a suitable (minimum wage),” Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr
Subramaniam Sathasivam (picture) told reporters today following the appointment
of National Wage Consultative Council members at his ministry here.
The council, consisting of 25 members from
various sectors, functions as an independent body to review and set a minimum
wage in the country based on tripartism between the government, employees, and
employers.
“The period for this is short and challenging
and the ministry is aware of the situation and has provided input to the
council,” he added.
Dr Subramaniam said that although the council
is a first of its kind in the country, steps have been taken before “such as
the setting up of a technical committee comprising of social, economic and
statistical experts to conduct initial investigations and to engage the public”.
He added that the ministry had appointed the
World Bank to conduct studies on minimum wage and mobility in the country.
“I believe and am confident that the
groundwork done will aid the council to set the minimum wage more effectively,”
Dr Subramaniam said.
“I am also confident that those appointed are
of the right calibre to run such an important platform to constructively
discuss the proposal so employees will receive suitable wages, increase their
spending power, increase their productivity and reduce our dependency on
foreign labour,” he added, pointing out that council members were free from
political affiliations to prevent politicisation of the issue.
Dr Subramaniam also said the minimum wage must
be set reasonably, and must not be too high or too low.
“If it is too high, it will burden the
employers and affect businesses. This will make it hard to create job
opportunities.
If it is too low, it won’t reach its
objective. It must be reasonable and based on the current economy. The biggest
challenge here is to come up with a reasonable rate.”
Dr Subramaniam hoped the decision made by the
council would not be based on personal emotions or perceptions, but on facts.
“It is very important for the long run and to
set up a system, as we are laying the foundation for the future of the
council.”
By Lisa J. Ariffin
Business & Investment Opportunities
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