THE Government should expand protection under the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) to provide 24-hours protection to all workers, said Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).
“Currently, SOCSO only provides protection during working hours and when leaving from work to home.
“However, it should now cover flexible working arrangement and ‘work from home’ as both systems are being practised widely now,” said its head of workers bureau M Sivaranjani, in her Labour Day message.
On that note, she also urged the Government to expand the protection under the Workers’ Insurance Scheme (SIP) to cover contractual employees and those filing reviews over their dismissal at the Department of Industrial Relations (JPP) or Labour Department (JTK).
Sivaranjani added that SOCSO should also include those working in the agriculture, commodity, farmers, fisherfolk and small traders under the Ilat Pensions Scheme so that they would enjoy benefits in the event of a natural disaster.
With that, the PSM leader listed several other suggestions for the Government to consider to provide better protection to workers such as the following:
- Monitor the implementation of the new minimum wage of RM1,500 to ensure employers do not try to circumvent the policy using dubious calculation methods
- Provide for a Basic Wage Guarantee of RM1,000 a month for those working in the informal sector who lost their livelihood due to COVID-19. The allocation needed for this programme is RM8.4 bil a year, to cover for 700,000 households
- Provide better protection to gig workers as they are currently treated as “partners” or “independent contractors” by their companies. They should also be provided basic protection such as contribution under the Employers Provident Fund (EPF), SOCSO, SIP and others
- Establish a Senior Citizens Pensions Scheme and provide a minimum of RM500 a month to pensioners, excluding civil servants who are already receiving pension from the State
- Stop privatising basic Government services that provides employment to gardeners, cleaners and security guards which was implemented in the 1990s and absorb them as permanent staff
Sivaranjini remarked: “We should never forget the sacrifices made by workers on May 1, with many of them losing their lives so that we can have the current 8-hour work per day system, with a minimum of one rest day and other benefits.
“We should never take our predecessors’ sacrifices for granted and keep the struggle going as workers are losing their rights in many other ways these days.” – May 1, 2022
