KUCHING, April 2: Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Owners Association (SOPPOA) is urging Prime Minister Dato Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to consider implementing the RM1,500 minimum wage policy in an orderly manner.
SOPPOA chief executive officer Dr Felix Moh Mee Ho said the policy is scheduled to be implemented by next month but the association is proposing a last minute review and improvement of the policy.
He said the Prime Minister ought to heed the advice of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Tan Sri Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus who suggested for the minimum wage policy to be done in an orderly manner.
“This is to ensure that the move will support economic growth while not adding inflation pressure to the country,” he said in a statement today.
Dr Moh further said that it is undeniable that inflation has gone up substantially over the last decade, caused by both internal and external factors.
The Malaysian government has numerous times raised the minimum wage since 2013 but unfortunately, the implementation cannot keep up with the ever-rising cost of living.
“Following the Covid-19 pandemic, many businesses across the country saw their supply chains interrupted, demand for their products and services decline, shortages in supplies and inputs, and government-mandated closures. Thousand businesses could not live through to today.
“The business communities agreed that they are morally bound to raise wage to support workers’ welbeing. However, they appealed that this should be implemented in stages over a period of times as suggested by Nor Shamsiah.
“A harsh increase of 25 per cent from the existing minimum wage of RM1,200 would be detrimental to business for majority businesses have not even able to recover yet,” he explained. – DayakDaily
