Source: Free Malaysia Today

Patrick Lee | June 21, 2011

All the hype and promises by the government have not helped salvage the proposed minimum wage from being a major disappointment, DAP said.

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Wages Consultative Council (NWCC) bill is a big disappointment for Malaysian workers, said the DAP.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said that the bill, which was tabled for its first reading in Parliament today, did not have anything to say about a minimum wage itself.

“They (the human resources ministry) should define what a minimum wage is. It’s disappointing that after all the hype, the bill doesn’t say anything about a minimum wage,” said Santiago.

The DAP economist also said that except for the introduction of the NWCC, much of the Employment Act remained the same.

According to the bill, the NWCC’s responsibility is to come up with recommendations for the human resources minister to set minimum wages for the country.

However, the bill states that it is up to the minister to accept these recommendations. A refusal to do so, it added, would force the council to review these recommendations.

But Santiago said that a such council should not wait on the minister’s word for the approval of a minimum wage.

He also took a swipe at the representation of government servants in the NWCC.

He raised concerns about the “at least five other members” of the council, and speculated that these places would be filled by former “directors-general” or other ministerial officials.

Santiago said that these positions should be filled by academics, industrial relations experts or labour lawyers who could contribute with honesty and impartiality.

“The biggest fear is that these places would be filled by all these Tan Sri and Datuks,” he said.