Malaysians in Singapore 'last to be let go'
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Malaysia's understanding of Singapore's "unwritten policy" on retrenchment of foreign workers is that Malaysians will be let off last, Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said yesterday.
He said this was because of the cultural similarities between the two countries.
"But a lot of them have been asked to work fewer hours or shorter days," Subramaniam told reporters when met at a dialogue organised by the EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Some 350,000 Malaysians work in Singapore, with 150,000 commuting from Johor Baru, and the rest believed to be residing in Singapore.
While Subramaniam maintained that the number of Malaysians retrenched in Singapore had been low so far, there was no data to corroborate this.
"We don't know (the number of Malaysians retrenched in Singapore), because we don't have any figures. Maybe people have lost jobs but have not told anybody.
"The Singapore government does not have figures on the number of Malaysians retrenched either. So this is all pure speculation."
He urged those who had lost jobs in Singapore to register with the ministry in Johor Baru or meet the ministry's labour attache in Singapore.
He told participants of the dialogue on "Retrenchment Scenario and the Government's Response" that 19,700 people had been retrenched in Malaysia so far, while another 45,000 were considered "vulnerable" to retrenchment.
"These 45,000 workers are those who have already received a pay cut or been asked to work fewer hours or days. The ministry believes that they are in the danger zone of being retrenched."
Of the 19,700 retrenched, 13,821 were Malaysians.
Subramaniam also spoke to reporters at a signing ceremony here yesterday where he witnessed the signing of a collective agreement between brewery company Guinness Anchor Bhd and the Union of Beverage Industry Workers.
He said his ministry was working towards putting an end soon to low wages in the security, hospitality, electronics and textile sectors.
It was using the Wages Council to address sectors with low wages.
"We are reviewing the salary scales in the security sector because they are exceedingly low now. The workers tend to work 12-hour shifts and earn a salary of RM600 to RM700."
He said his ministry would announce the pay structure within the month and would ensure that companies complied with them.
"It will be empowered through the Wages Council Act. We are slowly addressing sectors in which salaries are low and there is no union in the sector to achieve a collective agreement."
He said this was not the case for the plantation sector as all salaries and remuneration were decided via a collective agreement.
He added that the national minimum wage issue would be placed on hold until the economy recovered.
"We are trying to preserve jobs now. So it's not the right time to talk about a minimum wage. We will look at the issue once the economy improves."
Subramaniam also said that a retirement age cap should not be placed on the private sector as had been done in the civil service.
"I don't believe we should cap the age limit at 58 for the private sector as some private companies hire on a contract basis until the employee is 60 years old."
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Malaysia's understanding of Singapore's "unwritten policy" on retrenchment of foreign workers is that Malaysians will be let off last, Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said yesterday.
He said this was because of the cultural similarities between the two countries.
"But a lot of them have been asked to work fewer hours or shorter days," Subramaniam told reporters when met at a dialogue organised by the EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Some 350,000 Malaysians work in Singapore, with 150,000 commuting from Johor Baru, and the rest believed to be residing in Singapore.
While Subramaniam maintained that the number of Malaysians retrenched in Singapore had been low so far, there was no data to corroborate this.
"We don't know (the number of Malaysians retrenched in Singapore), because we don't have any figures. Maybe people have lost jobs but have not told anybody.
"The Singapore government does not have figures on the number of Malaysians retrenched either. So this is all pure speculation."
He urged those who had lost jobs in Singapore to register with the ministry in Johor Baru or meet the ministry's labour attache in Singapore.
He told participants of the dialogue on "Retrenchment Scenario and the Government's Response" that 19,700 people had been retrenched in Malaysia so far, while another 45,000 were considered "vulnerable" to retrenchment.
"These 45,000 workers are those who have already received a pay cut or been asked to work fewer hours or days. The ministry believes that they are in the danger zone of being retrenched."
Of the 19,700 retrenched, 13,821 were Malaysians.
Subramaniam also spoke to reporters at a signing ceremony here yesterday where he witnessed the signing of a collective agreement between brewery company Guinness Anchor Bhd and the Union of Beverage Industry Workers.
He said his ministry was working towards putting an end soon to low wages in the security, hospitality, electronics and textile sectors.
It was using the Wages Council to address sectors with low wages.
"We are reviewing the salary scales in the security sector because they are exceedingly low now. The workers tend to work 12-hour shifts and earn a salary of RM600 to RM700."
He said his ministry would announce the pay structure within the month and would ensure that companies complied with them.
"It will be empowered through the Wages Council Act. We are slowly addressing sectors in which salaries are low and there is no union in the sector to achieve a collective agreement."
He said this was not the case for the plantation sector as all salaries and remuneration were decided via a collective agreement.
He added that the national minimum wage issue would be placed on hold until the economy recovered.
"We are trying to preserve jobs now. So it's not the right time to talk about a minimum wage. We will look at the issue once the economy improves."
Subramaniam also said that a retirement age cap should not be placed on the private sector as had been done in the civil service.
"I don't believe we should cap the age limit at 58 for the private sector as some private companies hire on a contract basis until the employee is 60 years old."
