PSM has slammed former finance minister Lim Guan Eng for opposing a minimum wage and EPF contributions for existing migrant workers, calling it a “blatant endorsement of modern-day exploitation”.
The party’s deputy chairman, S Arutchelvan, criticised the DAP adviser, who was reported to have said that Malaysia was not bound by any United Nations or International Labour Organization conventions to do so.
“This hypocrisy is staggering, especially after years of government efforts to align with ILO standards,” he said in a statement today.
Earlier, Malaysiakini reported Lim as saying in the Dewan Rakyat that there was “no need to mandate RM1,700 minimum wage and 2% EPF contributions for migrant workers” already in the workforce.
Lim pointed to Singapore’s policy of not requiring Central Provident Fund contributions for migrant workers since 2003 without repercussions from the ILO.
“Therefore, the RM1,700 wage floor and 2% EPF contribution should apply only to new foreign hires, as employers engaged these current workers based on existing terms,” he said.
Arutchelvan said PSM had long criticised the 2% EPF contribution for foreign workers versus the 11%-13% for Malaysians.
“Now Lim wants to eliminate even this paltry 2%, further entrenching inequality.
“If Lim is really interested in helping Malaysian workers, he should just ask employers to pay Malaysian workers higher salaries without touching the minimum wage. Why try to push wages down rather than increasing them?” he said.
