Sabah employers on Friday called for transparency on the imminent implementation of the minimum wage policy by the government in the country.
"We support the minimum wage policy but what we find is that there is no transparency in how the minimum wage has been set," said Federation of Sabah Manufacturers (FSM) Secretary General, Yap Cheen Boon.
He made the point during a joint media conference with the majority of chambers of commerce and trade associations in Sabah here.
Yap said generally employers have no qualms about paying higher wages for higher levels of productivity in return but cautioned against imbalances in wage levels and productivity.
"Perhaps, the government could give us a grace period or timeframe to introduce this once it is properly implemented," he said, calling on the government to delay the implementation in Sabah by three years.
Towards this end he said they would submit a joint memorandum pertaining to the matter to the State government and to the Human Resource Ministry by January 2012. They called for transparency and involvement in how wage floors were deliberated, factoring in the different costs of living between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
"We do not know what the minimum wage is, so we are frustrated because we think that the process is not transparent and we are not involved in the process.
"There should not be a blanket standard minimum wage that applies across the board. The rates should take into account structural differences within respective industries and sectors.
"Significant structural differences exist among different industries that need to be properly considered and addressed."
Yap said they believe the principle of introducing a minimum wage is to make sure workers are not exploited and that they earn wages that will allow them to have a decent living standard.
"That is the declared objective of the minimum wage by the government and as employers we support this principle, however we are just not sure how it is being set or formulated. However, we are frustrated because we are not being properly involved," he said.
"We view this matter very seriously because it is something that will have impact on the cost of doing business here in Sabah and we think that the government should give us the opportunity to be involved."
A total of 24 Chambers of Commerce and trade associations were present, among them the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Sabah Timber Industries Association.
Sources: Daily Express Sabah
Picture: Google Image.
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