Gaji minimum RM2,000 bukan alasan naik harga barang, kata Fomca

Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim announced plans to raise the minimum wage from RM1,700 to RM2,000 per month starting in June 2027, with the aim of benefiting over four million workers. Peniaga, or merchants, are not to use the increase in minimum wage as an excuse to unjustly raise prices, says the Malaysian Consumers' Association (Fomca).

Executive Director Saravanan Thambirajah stated that the government must monitor prices to ensure that the rise in workers' incomes does not result in excessive cost increases. Fomca supports the government's decision to increase the minimum wage from RM1,700 to RM2,000 per month, which it believes will boost workers' purchasing power.

However, Thambirajah emphasized that the government needs to clarify the categories of workers and employers subject to the new rate, including exceptions for micro, small, and medium enterprises (PMKS). The most important thing is that the government must monitor the possibility of unjust price increases due to the rise in wage costs, he told FMT.

In the 2027 Budget Announcement, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the increase in the minimum wage from RM1,700 to RM2,000 per month starting in June 2027, which is expected to benefit more than four million workers. However, PMKS, which has an annual sales of less than RM50 million, was exempted from the new rate to give them time to adjust their business models.

CAP President S Mageswari praised the increase to RM2,000 but believed it was still insufficient to cover workers' living needs. "The Consumers' Association has long advocated for an increased minimum wage, including pushing for a higher basic wage. An increase in the minimum wage is necessary to ensure social and economic justice.

'The Consumers' Association believes that the minimum wage increase must be accompanied by inflation control measures and price monitoring to ensure that the real benefits are felt by the people without burdening them with higher living costs,' she said. Mageswari also stressed that workers in the PMKS sector also deserve the new minimum wage rate and should not be left behind.

She urged the government to provide additional support, including assistance with the transition to PMKS, to help employers adapt to the new wage increase. "Every worker deserves a life of dignity and the ability to comfortably support their family," she said.