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?
Workers from as various unions as the National Unions of Drinks Industry to the National Union of Bank Employees have been joined by members and leaders of political parties such as Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the yet-to-be-registered Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) in the picket.<p>
<img style="width: 320px; height: 181px;" alt="" src="images/news/2007/22322.jpg" align="right" border="0" height="181" hspace="7" width="320">Organised
by the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC), its General Council member P Selvam
said today’s picket served as a “warm-up” to further action pressing the government
to standardise minimum wage between civil servants and workers in the private
sector. </p>
<p>Here in Kuala Lumpur, about 600 workers gathered opposite the EPF headquarters in Jalan Raja Laut to show their support for the minimum wage call.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Led by MTUC’s secretary general Abdullah Sani and the union’s financial secretary A Sivananthan, the protesters picketed for about an hour, chanting slogans asking for a minimum wage. <br><br>
<img style="width: 160px; height: 228px;" alt="" src="images/news/2007/22312.jpg" align="right" border="0" height="228" hspace="7" width="160">“We
have been asking for this for the past eight years. The government should respond
to our demands and initiate some form of discussion,” said Abdullah (<em>photo</em>).
<br>
<br>Sivananthan meanwhile said that the minimum wage was a form of social security for the workers. <br><br>“Government must be sensitive to the needs of these workers.. Some are only paid about RM290 per month at present,” said Sivananthan. <br><br>The picketers received a lot of support from the passing vehicles and members of the public. Also there to show support were PKR vice president S Sivarasa and the party’s Supreme Council member Latheefa Koya. Some 20 policemen kept watch on the picketers. <br><br>
<B>Nationwide strike</B><br>
<br>
<img src="images/news/2007/22329.gif" align="left" height="130" hspace="5" width="220">Meanwhile
over at Shah Alam, MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamad joined some 400 workers
to stage a similar picket (<em>photo</em>). <br>
<br>Also in the crowd were PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, party Information Chief Tian Chua, DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng and Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang. <br><br>When asked for the next course of action, Syed Shahir said the union was now contemplating a one-day nationwide strike. <br><br>However he added no date has been fixed and will be discussed at the union’s next meeting. <br><br>
<img src="images/news/2007/22321.jpg" align="right" height="245" hspace="5" width="300">The
union is also planning to organise a mammoth gathering of workers soon on this
matter. <br>
<br>
Last May, the government <B>announced</B> that its civil servants
and police and armed forces will get a pay raise of between 7.5 percent and
35 percent. This is in addition to an increase in their cost-of-living-allowance
(Cola) of 100 percent. <br>
<br>MTUC and other organisations have long been calling for a minimum wage for workers in the private sector. They are seeking a minimum wage of RM900, as well as a Cola of RM300, given the yearly rise in price of basic necessities. <br><br>“If the government can be sufficiently concerned about its civil servants to have given them such a pay raise, what about workers in the private sector?” asked Selvam. <br><br>Simultaneous pickets also took place at Klang, Johor, Kuching, Malacca, and Penang. <br><br>
<B>Wage councils</B><br>
<br>
<img src="images/news/2007/22318.jpg" align="left" height="218" hspace="5" width="200">Meanwhile
<em>Bernama</em> quoted Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as saying that
the picket would only cause ill-feelings. <br>
<br>He said that MTUC should not adopt a confrontational stance in its fight for a minimum wage for private sector employees, adding that the matter should be resolved through discussions. <br><br>"I hope they won’t go on a picket as negotiations with Human Resources Minister (Dr Fong Chan Onn) are ongoing,” he said. <br><br>Fong also urged the union to call off its pickets, saying that the government was willing to set up wage councils by sectors to review low salaries.</p>
<p><i>Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/69097</i>
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com