MUKAH: A representative from the Consumers Affair and Protection Society (CAPS) who was in town recently said some of the local employers here had failed to abide by the minimum wage rule for Sarawak and Sabah. CAPS deputy president Ali Bin Ahmad was surprised to note that a worker he met here was underpaid. “Yesterday, I met a worker at one of the retail centres in town and he told me that he and other staffs were only paid RM720 per month.
“According to the minimum wage ruling for Sarawak and Sabah, it should be RM920,” said Ali.Ali, who conducted a press conference at a coffee shop here yesterday, pointed that it was very sad employers here do not subscribe to the minimum wage ruling. “Besides being underpaid, some of the workers here have to work for between 12 to 13 hours per day.
“Hence, it is not an exaggeration for me to say that many employees here are being exploited by their employers,” he added.
Ali who hailed from Sandakan admitted that he might have been considered as encroaching into another territory. “My chi ldren had warned against crossing over the line or border. But for the sake of humanity, I don’t want to see our workers exploited,” reiterated Ali.
He believed that most of the local workers were ignorant of their rights and the situation had been exploited by irresponsible employers. “I strongly believe that these poor workers are not only being underpaid but also not paid overtime according to overtime rules, especially during public holidays when they should be paid double.
“I presume this scenario happens not only in Mukah but throughout the whole of Sarawak, mainly in the private sector,” he said. Hence, he urged the Labour Department to go to the ground to ensure that the minimum wage ruling is being implemented by the local employers.
“Of course, this kind of scenario also happens in Sabah. The relevant authority should not only wait for victims to lodge reports but to go to the ground and monitor the situation from time to time,” said Ali.
