Gaji minimum RM2,000 wujudkan pekerja ‘2 darjat’, dakwa Hamzah

Kementerian Perdana, Anwar Ibrahim, announced a RM2,000 minimum wage in the 2027 Budget, according to a press release dated May 5, 2024. Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim pledged this wage increase starting in June 2027. Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim declared that this new wage would create a two-tier labor market, differentiating between large and small businesses.

Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim indicated that businesses with sales under RM50 million would be exempt from the increase, allowing large companies to offer RM2,000 minimum wage, while smaller companies would continue to pay RM1,700. Hamzah Zainudin, the Opposition Leader, expressed concern about this disparity, noting that PMKS employ approximately eight million people, or half of the nation's workforce.

Hamzah Zainudin said, “Workers in large companies receive RM2,000. Workers in PMKS remain at RM1,700.” He argued that this wage gap could push PMKS workers to seek employment in larger companies, potentially pressuring small businesses to raise wages or risk losing employees. The Opposition Leader also questioned the proposed reduction of income tax by one percentage point for PMKS, as this measure might not benefit companies that have not yet made a profit.

Hamzah Zainudin urged the government to standardize the minimum wage for all workers and provide assistance or transitional incentives to businesses in need. He proposed the creation of a PMKS Welfare Fund, financed by the Social Security Organization (Perkeso), to help small businesses increase wages as productivity improves. Hamzah Zainudin suggested this support should be contingent upon businesses raising wages, providing training, and investing in automation.

He noted that such a mechanism could be implemented based on the experience of the Perkeso Wage Subsidy Program, which helped maintain millions of jobs during the pandemic. Hamzah Zainudin also proposed a one percentage point reduction in corporate taxes for three years for companies that raise wages above the new minimum. "A government that listens to the concerns of PMKS is a government willing to share the cost of transition for a few years, until the company's productivity can support higher wages," he stated.