MTUC stages protest over minimum wage issue
THE MTUC staged a peaceful gathering outside Parliament before handing over a 14-page memorandum to the Prime Minister, calling for a RM900 minimum wage and provision of a RM300 cost of living allowance.
Its members gathered as early as 9am yesterday but were unable to hand the memorandum to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as he was overseas on official business.
MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud, who met newsmen at the Parliament lobby later, said they would not stop until their goal was achieved.
He said the Government’s explanation that a RM900 minimum wage could not be met due to various reasons, including inflation, was unacceptable.
“This is a national issue that affects everyone, and the Government should not delay it any further,” he said.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz, who received the memorandum on Abdullah’s behalf, said he sympathised with MTUC’s plight and would hand over the document to the Prime Minister when he returned from Dubai.
“And I will ensure that this matter is brought up for discussion in the Cabinet later,” he said.
