Aug 082007
Just heard from Abdul Razak Abdul Hamid, the chairman of MTUC Penang, that some 1,800 workers turned up for the MTUC picket near the Prai Industrial Estate, adding their voices to the call for a RM900 minimum wage and a RM300 cost of living allowance.
This exceeds the turnout for the earlier 25 June picket, in which some 1,000 workers took part.
Razak said that a few more new groups joined in today’s picket. He added that similar pickets were also held in about half a dozen locations across the country – Ipoh, KL (in three locations), Johor, Sabah and Sarawak.
So the issue is not dying out – there is still disquiet among the low-income working class. And a general election is looming.
The ball is now in PM Abdullah Badawi’s court.
I really hope that the lower income earners get their minimum wage. It’s scandalous that Malaysia is so 3rd world country in this issue.
Once a minimum wage is set, at least it gives employees some empowerment. They can’t be cajoled or threatened with pay cuts!
They need a piece of the cake too ; it is frustrating trying to survive in Malaysia when prices of basic commodities are increasing every year while levels of society are struggling to make ends meet every month.
Ironically, with average working class man or woman do not bother to speak up if they have to work extra hours other than specified in their work contract. I asked a lawyer why he bothered working the extra hours if he wasn’t paid for it, and his answer was because he was used to it!
That’s mind boggling really.
Are employees just reduced to working, brainless cattle? Shrug our shoulders and say ‘What to do? .. Like that lar…’.
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