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12 May 2012| last updated at 10:27PM

Najib calls for stronger worker-employer-government relations



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SERDANG: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today called for continued strengthening of the close cooperation among workers, employers and the government to enhance productivity and realise the national transformation agenda.

 

The prime minister said this was of primary importance in nourishing the concept of a win-win situation without jeopardising the interests of any side.
 
"I am totally convinced that with the cooperation of the three sides, workers, employers and the government, we can continue to strengthen understanding and consensus towards establishing harmonious and conducive relations.
 
"If the three sides establish sound relations, surely our work of transforming the country will be achieved," he said at the Workers' Day 2012 gathering, here.
 
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, Deputy Human Resources Minister Senator Datuk Maznah Mazlan, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Abu Bakar Abdullah, Cuepacs president Datuk Omar Osman, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Datuk Azman Shah Haron and Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Mohd Khalid Atan also attended the event.   
 
Najib, who is also finance minister, said that in ensuring the well-being and welfare of workers, the government had provided the private sector with incentives similar to that given to the public sector to raise them into skillful and high-income workers. 
 
"This is most important because we cannot compete on the aspect of low-cost labour. We must raise our nation's competitiveness, not through subsidy from the government," he said. 
 
He said companies and organisations should raise their productivity and competitiveness by using every available advantage, including high-technology and business opportunities provided, to compete at the international level.
 
Najib said he was happy with the performance of the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) which had collected RM23 billion more in 2011 compared to the previous year.
 
"This is an example of robust productivity, and other departments and agencies should also raise their productivity. We can then pay higher salaries without putting the country's economy into jeopardy," he said.
 
He said it would be unreasonable for anyone to seek a pay rise without enhancing productivity which determined the success and progress of an organisation or the country.  
 
Najib also said that the payment of an additional RM200 to estate workers of government-linked companies (GLCs), among them Sime Darby Plantation, as an incentive as well as ex-gratia to foreign workers evidently raised the companies' productivity by up to 10 per cent. 
 
"This is what I mean by a win-win situation; the workers benefit as well as the employers. This should be considered as a good model. If workers lose out, the company also suffers losses, and so does the country. The win-win situation is a philosophy which the government subscribes to," he said. 
 
In appreciation of the contribution and role of the MTUC and Cuepacs to the nation's productivity, the prime minister announced that either entity would be allowed to operate five 1Malaysia shops to enable them raise their income and ease their financial burden. -- BERNAMA

 

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