PETALING JAYA: The government should increase the minimum wage to RM 1,500, as it had promised in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) election manifesto, to enable workers to reach RM1,870 in spending, Gerakan National President Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai said today.
He was voicing his concern for low-income earners after the Belanjawanku guide, that was released yesterday, showed that the minimum spending recommended for a single adult without a car was RM1,870, which is more than the current RM1,100 minimum wage.
“With half of Malaysians earning less than RM 2,160 as reported by (Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri) Saifuddin Nasution, we can see that a huge number of wage earners are struggling to survive,” Lau said in a statement.
“The implementation of the SST (Sales and Services Tax) has drawn up the cost of doing business by 10% which only leads to manufacturers passing the cost down to the consumer, driving up prices.”
Lau said the government has been giving in to the demands of employers instead of the average Malaysian, who is struggling to make a living by even announcing the lowering of the minimum wage in accordance to certain sectors.
“Meanwhile the M40 (Middle 40) was also neglected as they are not given any financial aid, unlike the B40 (Bottom 40). Hence I urge the government to extend more aid such as the BSH to middle-income earners,” he said.
“The government should encourage more workers unions to stand up and fight for workers’ rights as a decent living wage is not supposed to be a luxury but a basic human right.”
