KUALA LUMPUR – Some DAP lawmakers will meet Covid-19 vaccination programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin next week to address the matter of inoculating the 16.05 million-strong Malaysian workforce.
In his Labour Day message, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said DAP is willing to set aside its political differences with the Perikatan Nasional government to beat Covid-19, support the immunisation drive, and save and create jobs.
“The severity of the third wave of infections has raised the likelihood that a new round of MCO (movement control order) will be imposed on one or two states. This has hampered recovery from the worst economic recession in memory, and caused unemployment to increase to 4.8%, or 778,000 (people), in February, with youth unemployment at 13.9%, or 348,000, the highest in decades.
What is distressing is that two PN ministers, namely Human Resources Minister (Datuk Seri) M. Saravanan and (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of the economy Datuk Seri) Mustapa Mohamed, are publicly urging undergraduates who are unable to find jobs to accept a monthly pay of RM1,000.
“Paying below the monthly minimum wage is illegal and can be punished with a RM10,000 fine. Instead of taking action, the two ministers are encouraging such illegal pay. This betrayal of workers’ rights must be condemned, and the two ministers should take concrete steps to uphold the minimum wage.”
Lim urged the government to fulfil its promise of an automatic loan moratorium extension with the exception of the T20 group.
Putrajaya should implement the RM6.5 billion Malaysia@Work programme to create 350,000 jobs as announced in the previous administration’s Budget 2020, he said.
“Through Malaysia@Work, Malaysian workers who were previously unemployed will get monthly wage incentives of RM500, while employers will receive monthly hiring incentives of RM300 for a period of two years.” – The Vibes, May 1, 2021
