Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
A total of 250,000 private security guards, private clinic assistants and casual
farm workers will soon be the first people in the country to enjoy a minimum
wage.
<p>If all goes well, they are expected to take home guaranteed monthly wages by
the end of the year.</p>
<p>This will be a great improvement over the current situation, where some security
guards take home as little as RM500 a month after overtime.</p>
<p>Most clinic assistants and casual farm workers earn between RM200 and RM500
a month.</p>
<p>Currently, workers in these sectors are supposed to be paid according to the
trend in the respective industries, but employers generally use their own scales.</p>
<p>Government efforts in 1981 to introduce a minimum wage of RM700 for stevedores
succeeded, but the rate is no longer used by the industry as market forces have
led to higher salaries.</p>
<p>The next year, it tried to introduce minimum wages for shop assistants, cinema
theatre workers, and bar and pub employees. This failed as the amount proposed
was much lower than the industry rate.</p>
<p>Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn said the three categories
of workers were in vulnerable sectors and were grossly underpaid.</p>
<p>"The Government felt that they needed help in terms of a minimum wage
as they earned very low salaries," he told a Press conference yesterday.</p>
<p>Asked if other sectors could expect to see minimum wages in future, he said
the ministry would initiate moves if there were complaints from workers.</p>
<p>Fong said seven minimum wage councils would be set up to study the matter and
submit their proposals to the ministry by October.</p>
<p>Fong said the councils would also look at workers’ rest days including
the wage to be paid if they worked on rest days, besides workers’ terms
and conditions.</p>
<p>They will also look at retirement schemes for the workers.</p>
<p>Each council will comprise three independent members, two employers and two
union representatives.</p>
<p>All three affected groups, which do not have unions, will be represented by
the Malaysian Trades Union Congress.</p>
<p>Fong said the Cabinet approved the setting up of the councils in September
last year.</p>
<p>The ministry had set up a commission of inquiry in 2002 to study wages earned
by the three groups after the issue was raised in Parliament.</p>
<p>Asked if low salaries for security guards were responsible for some of them
resorting to robberies at banks, Fong said it could be a factor.
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com