PUTRAJAYA,
Malaysia - The minimum wage for private
sector employees has been set at between RM800 (S$327) and RM900 per month.
The
RM900 or RM4.33 per hour is for employees in the peninsula while the RM800 or
RM3.85 per hour is for workers in Sarawak, Sabah and the Federal Territory of
Labuan.
It
covers employees in all economic sectors except those in the domestic service
sector such as maids and gardeners.
The
much anticipated minimum wage was announced by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a
special gathering of several thousand private sector employees at the Putrajaya
International Convention Centre here last night.
"This
is a special present from the Federal Government to all employees of our
beloved country," he said to thunderous applause from the audience.
The
rates will take effect six months from the date the Minimum Wage Order
(Perintah Gaji Minimum) is gazetted.
However,
the effective date for small-time employers or micro enterprises had been
extended by another six months to give them time to make preparations so their
businesses would not be affected, Najib said.
He
added that the 12-month grace period did not cover professional outfits such as
dental and medical clinics and legal, architecture and consultant firms.
Even if
they had five employees or fewer, they were required to implement the minimum
wage within six months of the order being gazetted, he said.
Najib
said the Government was providing a flexible implementation mechanism so that
employers who are really unable to implement the minimum wage could appeal for
an extension.
"We
have also prepared a mechanism whereby some allowances or fixed cash payments
are allowed to be absorbed in the calculation for minimum wage," he said.
Najib
noted that employees had demanded a minimum wage of between RM1,200 and RM1,500
but said this could not be implemented.
On the
recommendation of the National Wage Consultative Council and based on a World
Bank study, the minimum wage could not be set too high, he said.
Najib
said the discussions of the council, representing the Government, employers and
employees, had at times been heated but a consensus was achieved "in the
spirit of tripartite".
The
Government had agreed to the council's recommendations with minor adjustments,
Najib said.
Najib
added that different minimum wages for the peninsula and Sarawak, Sabah and
Labuan were due to the variation in wage structures and cost of living.
"However,
the Government hopes that within the next two to three years, the minimum wage
for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan can be streamlined with that of the
peninsula."
Zuhrin
Azam Ahmad and Joseph Sipalan
The
Star/Asia News Network
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