KUCHING: Increasing the minimum wage to RM1100 is reasonable enough, said Bumiputra Chamber of Entrepreneurs (DUBS) president Datuk Abang HelmiIkhwan.
In an interview with New Sarawak Tribune yesterday, he pointed out that employers had complied with the regulations set in terms of minimum wage.
“We also have to symphatise with low income earners as for them, RM1100 is just enough for them to survive and buy household items.
“The increase in minimum wage is timely as the cost of living is high at this time,” he added.
Asked whether there should be a review on the minimum wage, Abang Helmi said that as the decision had already been made by the government, it was now time to implement the rate.
“It has been years since the last minimum wage increase, if there is another review in the offing, then it is up to the government to decide.
“The minimum wage should depend on the job scope of the employee. This is because there are different levels of qualifications needed for each job,” he said.
Abang Helmi professed that the implementation of minimum wage based on job scope would be more difficult.
“There are some industries that would be affected by the imposition of minimum wage, but they would find ways and means to get around that,” he revealed.
“Of course, this would also affect the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Producer Price Index (PPI) as they would also increase, but then again, we have to comply with the imposed regulation.”
