Some 100 unionists gathered at Parliament gate

Some 100 unionists gathered at Parliament gate this morning in support of Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) leaders who were there to hand a memorandum on their demand for minimum wage.

The crowd gathered for two hours under the watchful eyes of the police before dispersing peacefully on their own after the memorandum had been submitted.

Several Pakatan Rakyat MPs took time out from the Parliament sitting and came to support the MTUC's demand for RM900 minimum wage and RM300 cost-of-living allowances (Cola).

According to MTUC president Syed Shahrir Syed Mahmud, the memorandum was handed over to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz and Opposition Leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Syed Shahrir said that Nazri promised to hand the memorandum to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and other members of the cabinet.

"The memorandum was also distributed to all MPs regardless of their political leanings," he said.

No response.

He said the memorandum was the same as the one submitted to Abdullah in June last year.

Syed Shahrir said that a second memorandum was submitted because there was no response from the government regarding their claims.

"Among Asean countries, only Malaysia does not have a minimum wage policy, while others do," he said.

He said that the government’s excuse of not having a minimum wage policy and an equitable Cola policy to prevent inflation was lame one.

Elaborating, he said it was the employers and not the government that was footing a higher salary.

He said that at present, 1.67 million workers are making less than RM700 a month which is lower than the poverty rate of RM900.

More protests

Syed Shahrir stressed that the gathering outside Parliament house was not a picket but a gathering of unionists who were keen on knowing first hand the government's attitude towards the working class.

"Whether MTUC will hold more of such gatherings depends on the government’s response. This (holding protests) is not a hobby but a responsibility.

"We're not out to score political points. We're out to fulfil our commitment to the workers of this country," he added.

Among others, the memorandum also opposed amendments to the Industrial Relations Act and the Trade Union Act which MTUC claims are detrimental to workers.

The memorandum also states MTUC's eagerness to hold discussions with the prime minister regarding issues affecting workers.

Since taking over as prime minister in 2003, Abdullah has never dialogued with MTUC which is the largest umbrella body for trade unions.

Source: Malaysiakini.com