Emulate the government in safeguarding workers' welfare, private sector told

The private sector has been told to emulate the government in safeguarding workers welfare by implementing reasonable minimum wages.

The call was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim since private sector companies boast their annual profits in millions and should allocate some of this for their workforce as an acknowledgement to their dedication and productivity.

“If they have good productivity and discipline, we (employers) should consider improving wage rates and providing suitable treatment to them, and this is what the government is doing.

“Although I touched on civil servants today, I want this message to be clear to the private sector as well, regardless of whether the company benefits greatly from the government or receives incentives from the government.

“What I announced today should be heard by the private sector,” he said during his speech at the national Labour Day celebration earlier today.

Anwar who is also the finance minister added that the private sector should also allocate some of their profits for their employees.

“The private sector records profits multiple times over, but where do these profits come from? They stem from good productivity. And this productivity comes from their workers.

“So what’s wrong with sharing a small portion of those hundreds of millions with the workers in the form of a few hundred ringgit?”