Print
    30 April 2012| last updated at 10:02PM

    Najib announces minimum wage for private sector

    By Azura Abas, Sean Augustine and Alang Bendahara

    2 comments

    Putrajaya: Malaysia will implement a minimum wage for the private sector of RM900 or RM4.33 an hour for peninsular and RM800 or RM3.85 an hour for Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan.

    Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the minimum wage scale would cover all economic sectors except for domestic services such as maids and gardeners.

    "Once the Minimum Wage Order is gazetted, employers have six months to implement it.

    "However, for employers of micro enterprises, they are given 12 months to do so as we understand they will need more time to make necessary adjustments and also to ensure their businesses will not be affected," he said.

    The 12-month extension, however, will not apply to professional firms such as clinics, dental clinics, law firms, architecture firms and consultation firms, although they only have five staff or less.

    Najib believed the time given to make the transition would be ample for employers to restructure their workers' salary scales and their operations.

    The policy will benefit some 3.2 million workers in small- and medium-enterprise sector who earn on average less than RM700 a month.

    They represent 33 per cent of the workforce who live below the poverty line of RM763.

    The prime minister said the government was aware of employees' demand to set the minimum wage higher between RM1,200 and RM1,500.

    "But for a start and as what were proposed by the National Wages Consultative Council and based on World Bank's study, the minimum wage cannot be set too high.  

    "If it is set above RM900 (basic salary), the impact can be detrimental to the nation's economy, labour market and foreign investment into Malaysia.”

     

    1 / 1

    Leave Your Comment


    Leave Your Comment:

    New Straits Times reserves the right not to publish offensive or abusive comments and those of hate speech, harassment, commercial promos and invasion of privacy. Your IP will be logged and may be used to prevent further submission.The views expressed here are that of the members of the public and unless specifically stated are not those of NST.



    Net a game-changer in politics

    26 May 2013

    POWERFUL TOOL: Online popularity has translated to actual votes for political parties during GE13, analysts tell Tan Choe Choe

    Villagers raring to vote

    4 April 2013

    EXCITED: Village folk are confident to go out and vote as their safety is assured

    Educate yourself about scholarships

    3 April 2013

    WHEN it comes to scholarships in Malaysia, they generally fall into one of two categories: corporate or government, or collegebased. Corporate or government scholarships are often a student’s best bet to study overseas, as many of them cover not only tuition costs, but living, computer and travel expenses as well. At the same time, they encourage their scholars to pursue their degree overseas and those that are for SPM school-leavers cover pre-university programmes.

    Japan can be the model for change By Paul krugman

    26 May 2013

    SLUMP: The Western world has seemingly succumbed to a severe case of economic defeatism and is not trying to solve problems

    The way to unity

    26 May 2013

    The best place to forge ties that bind the various races would be in school

    WOMEN IN POLITICS: Many virtues in female leadership

    26 May 2013

    BENAZIR Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, Julia Gillard, Indira Gandhi, Aung San Suu Kyi. When I reflect upon these names, I see the superiority of women political leaders over the men.

    Putrajaya everything a great city should be

    1

    1 February 2013

    PUTRAJAYA: Working in a big, bustling city has its drawbacks - from the symphony of sounds with cars honking and drivers swearing, to the never ending traffic jams and zero parking.

    Business

    Brought to you by Business Times

      More

      Kelantan make great recovery

      26 May 2013

      KELANTAN slammed in four late goals to remain on track to reach the FA Cup final after a 4-1 win over Terengganu in the semi-final first leg in Kota Baru while Darul Takzim edged Pahang 1-0 for a nervy win in Johor Baru yesterday.

      Rexy turning it on for Indonesia

      26 May 2013

      INDONESIA'S revival began immediately after their failure to win a medal in the London Olympics and it is now being spearheaded by Rexy Mainaky, a coach rejected by the BA of Malaysia (BAM).

      FORMULA ONE: Rosberg puts Mercedes on pole

      26 May 2013

      FASTEST: German starts in front third time in a row

      DIVING: Another sterling show

      26 May 2013

      WORLD SERIES: Jun Hoong-Wendy clinch bronze and breach 300-point barrier

      Project raises NGO's ire again

      25 May 2013

      GEORGE TOWN: THE state government and local authorities are again facing questions about a 27-storey luxury suite project in Pulau Tikus from a non-governmental organisation here.

      NACSCOM PUTS THE FUN IN FUNDRAISING

      25 May 2013

      KUALA LUMPUR: The more fortunate elderly citizens have not forgotten their counterparts who are in dire straits.

      Who's the chef in the family?

      24 May 2013

      HOT LESSONS: Find out who in the family has a flair for cooking at classes conducted by a celebrity chef

      HERITAGE: Rooted in rice

      26 May 2013

      In celebrating a bountiful rice harvest, the Kadazandusuns are unwavering in their ties to their rich heritage. Evangeline Majawat observes as they prepare for the Harvest Festival

      Love from many angles

      25 May 2013

      Award-winning photographer Jay Marroquin restores faith in romance through his photos, writes Karen Ho

      P. Ramlee, 40 years on

      24 May 2013

      The icon of the film industry is remembered on the anniversary of his death. Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli writes

      Tale of three cities

      23 May 2013

      Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan have a rich history. Shuib Taib is enthralled

      Touch of embellishment

      22 May 2013

      Singapore’s Zardoze borrows from Persian culture for its latest line, writes Sushma Veera

      “I thought I knew him...”

      21 May 2013

      People with personality disorders affect the mental well-being of their loved ones. Kasmiah Mustapha finds out ways to recognise the traits

      Going online rocks!

      20 May 2013

      For rock outfit Jump-P, it’s never too late to capitalise on social media. Siti Syameen Md Khalili finds out more

      COVER STORY: Malaysians dominate at the Asia Pacific Property Awards

      24 May 2013

      BOLEH!: Malaysian companies won in almost every category

      Property news: Inspiring creative cities

      24 May 2013

      REVITALISING: WCSC 2013 returns for another stimulating session on increasing liveability of cities

      Asian REITs outperformed Asian equities, says APREA

      21 December 2012

      TOP PERFORMERS: Most Asian REIT markets achieved higher returns, lower risk and superior risk-adjusted performance than their respective stock markets, especially since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), according to a recent report by the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA), which was authored by Professor Graeme Newell, University of Western Sydney.

      Advisory: Which currency should I borrow in?

      24 May 2013

      FOREX DILEMMA: When purchasing overseas property, make sure you pay the loan in the right currency denomination as exchange rate movements may affect your return on investment

      Networking: Atmospheric Architecture

      24 May 2013

      Shortlisted AKAA entry: The Kantana Film and Animation Institute in Thailand, where the traditional brick is innovatively used.

      INTERIOR: Urban retreat on ‘fifth heaven’

      21 March 2013

      OASIS OF RELAXATION: A totally rejuvenated Shirley waxes lyrical about the new spa cottages on the fifth floor of Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok

      Great expectations

      17 May 2013

      NST RED chats with Ar Chan Seong Aun, the newly-elected PAM (Malaysian Institute of Architects) President on various issues

      World

      World latest news

        More