The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has slammed Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s government for failing to defend local and migrant workers affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
“The honourable prime minister has time and again emphasised that ‘no one will be left behind’ in all his messages to the rakyat and yet the workers, both locals and migrants who have the least, continue to suffer the most in the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It appears that the government seems to be impotent in stopping the irresponsible action of such companies,” the union said in a statement today.
MTUC then called for a comprehensive review of relief packages undertaken by the Muhyiddin government.
“Putrajaya must acknowledge that its move to have poor workers dip into their already meagre EPF (Employees Provident Fund) savings for household expenses and the use of Socso funds to pay for health checks is not only counter-productive to interests of workers but also an act of cruelty and injustice perpetrated on them,” it said.
MTUC also said the government should draw up more effective plans to keep workers at their jobs, shield them from unfair pay cuts and reduce their household expenses.
“For instance, the six-month moratorium for housing and car loans by financial institutions has been a big help to workers. MTUC strongly calls on the prime minister to extend the moratorium by another six months. This move will greatly benefit thousands of workers who have either lost their jobs or been forced to take massive pay cuts,” the union said.
The government, according to MTUC, should look to improve the wage subsidy scheme as many workers were still being laid off as employers viewed retrenchments as a quick fix to their cash flow woes.
“The government must expand the wage subsidy scheme to cover workers earning a salary of more than RM4,000 a month. This will help to keep more workers, especially locals, at their jobs,” the union said. – June 3, 2020
