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KUALA LUMPUR: All employers have to implement the minimum wage policy by January next year.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Richard Riot Jaem said there would be no more deferment and employers risked being penalised if they failed to do so.
“As of Sunday (June 30), 743 big companies have applied for the minimum wage policy to be deferred until the end of the year,” he told a press conference at Parliament building.
He said the companies, from both manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors, sent in their applications by the Sunday deadline to ask for a delay in the minimum wage.
Riot said manufacturing companies were considered “big” if they have at least 150 employees. Non-manufacturing firms were classified as “big” if they have over 50 workers.
“All applications to delay the minimum wage are currently being processed by the secretariat of the National Wages Consultative Council and will be completed as soon as possible,” Riot said.
Under the minimum wage policy, employers with six or more workers must pay their employees a minimum wage of RM900 a month in Peninsula Malaysia or RM800 a month in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan from Jan 1 this year.
Micro employers, or those with five or less employees, were required to carry out the minimum wage policy starting yesterday (July 1).
Riot said a total of 632 individual employers from the bus associations, security guard associations and the hotel industry were allowed to defer the policy on Dec 28 last year.
The ministry also allowed for the policy to be postponed for small and medium sized enterprises and big companies on May 28.
The ministry is currently processing the applications from micro employers and big companies to defer the policy.
Source: The Star Online
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