Increase in wage if BN wins: Najib (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak today said the current minimum wage of RM920 for Sabah and Sarawak and RM1,000 for Peninsula Malaysia will be raised if Barisan Nasional retains power.
Speaking at the national Labour Day celebration at the Putra World Trade Centre here, he said the new rate would be announced later this year.
"We will increase the minimum wage from the current rates. If you want the higher rate, then vote for BN," he said in his speech to more than 5,000 people who attended the event.
The announcement was one of five made by Najib during his speech.
BN had in its manifesto earlier pledged to raise the minimum wage to RM1,500 in the span of five years.
He said if the BN is retained, it will also increase the allocation for the Social Security Organisation (Socso) by an additional RM60 million.
He said with this addition, interim aid rates will be increased to RM1,000 for the first month and RM800 and RM600 respectively for the next two months.
He also announced that his administration will introduce a three-day compulsory paternity leave for fathers if BN won and this will be tabled in Parliament no later than early 2019.
He said RM210 million will also be channelled to the Human Resources Development Fund Sdn Bhd to executive the Human Capital Strategic Initiatives plan.
"To appreciate the loyalty of workers across the country towards the government all this time, a special grant of RM3 million will go to the MTUC," Najib said
The funds will be pumped into the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC), which will channel it for disbursement through the various workers' unions.