Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 2.2.2014.
DAP strongly disagrees with Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan who blamed “lazy Malaysians” for adding to the country’s unemployment rate by refusing to take up job opportunities causing the influx of foreign migrant workers. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the unemployment rate is at 3.4 per cent as at November last year, or 484,600 of the 14.2 million of the country’s total labour force.
Referring to the jobless, Ahmad Maslan said, “They are worse than just lazy. There are around 300,000 of them, who are just sitting and doing nothing”. This attack on the jobless is not only unfair but incorrect as well. BN leaders should realise that it is not lazy Malaysians who add up to Malaysia’s unemployment rate, but lazy BN policies that are a disincentive to work with low pay and low productivity especially for 3D jobs that are Difficult, Dirty And Dangerous.
BN has failed to implement robust and pro-active labour policies to improve pay, productivity and work conditions for workers by importing foreign workers. How can there be pride in work when it is lowly paid and placed on the same level as unskilled foreign migrant workers? It is no surprise that a declining economy coupled with price hikes in sugar, petrol, TNB power tariffs and highway tolls have caused both financial hardships to working Malaysians and caused Malaysia’s unemployment to climb up from 2.8% in June 2013 to 3.4%.
This is why even though there are 2.1 million registered foreign workers in Malaysia, the number of illegal immigrants could be double that number. Foreign remittances by these foreign workers amounted to RM20 billion in 2012. The full implementation of the minimum wage policy(RM900 in peninsular Malaysia and RM800 in Sabah and Sarawak) in 2014 affecting nearly 1.8 million workers, mostly migrant workers, as compared to 1.5 million workers in 2013 will only cause the foreign remittances to rise to RM30 billon this year.
The Malaysian Employers Federation estimated that the increased labour cost of foreign workers in Small and Medium scale Enterprises(SMEs) to result in an increase in total costs for some SMEs by up to 10%. The average increase in productivity by 2-3% per year would not be sufficient to compensate for the increase in costs of 10%. The impact from the minimum wage would come from higher overtime charges for foreign employees who work an average of four hours of overtime per day as well as on rest days and public holidays.
DAP proposes that the minimum monthly wage be increased to RM 1,100/-, combined with a grace period to SMEs for 5 years from extending this to foreign workers. This would help to increase income for 14.2 million Malaysian workers and help economic growth by protecting Malaysian SMEs.
This proposed rise in mimimum wage for Malaysian workers will help to offset rising prices and also encourage more Malaysians to seek work. RM 1,100 monthly is acceptable to Small and Medium Entreprises(SMEs) provided that it does not cover foreign workers. After the 5 years grace period, SMEs have to pay the same minimum monthly wage to all foreign and local workers.
When people are unemployed, the Federal government usually gets blamed. Instead it is the BN government blaming the unemployed for not working! Is being unemployed now considered a wrong by the BN government? Datuk Ahmad Maslan should withdraw and apologise for such insensitive remarks to show his respect for the 484,600 unemployed workers and focus on creating more higher paying jobs.
LIM GUAN ENG
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英於2014年2月2日在吉隆坡发表文告：
那些导致国内失业率攀升的马来西亚人並非懒惰，懒的只是国阵的政策，遏制了人们投入艰辛（Difficult）、肮脏（Dirty）及危险（Dangerous）的3D工作领域，因为这类别的工作即低薪又低生产率。
民主行动党强烈反对国内副财长拿督阿末马斯兰的言论，後者谴责“懒惰的马来西亚人”不抓紧工作机会，造成外国客工的涌入，进而使国家的失业率攀升。根据国家统计局的数字显示，去年11月份的国人失业率达48万4千600人，占全国1千420万劳动人口的3.4%
针对国内的失业率一事，阿末马斯兰说：“更糟的是，他们只是懒惰。他们当中约有30万人，成天无所事事的呆坐着”。这种攻击，不仅是不公平，而且是错误的。国阵诸公应明白，那些导致国内失业率攀升的马来西亚人並非懒惰，懒的只是国阵的政策，遏制了人们投入艰辛（Difficult）、肮脏（Dirty）及危险（Dangerous）的3D工作领域，因为这类别的工作即低薪又低生产率。
国阵无法实在且积极地推行好的劳工政策，以便改进国人的收入、生产力以及工作环境，所以才引进外国客工。请问，当我们的工作所获得的薪资是如此地低，甚至和非熟练的外国客工并列一样的地位时，我们怎能自豪地投入工作？今天，百物腾涨，糖价、油价、电费、过路费等不断攀升，无疑对国内劳动人口造成庞大的经济压力，也促使了失业率从去年6月的2.8%，上升至11月的3.4%。
这就是为何目前已登记的外国客工计210万人，但，尚未登记的非法客工可能是这数字的一倍的缘由。这些外国客工在2012年，共从我国汇出了200亿令吉。今年，在最低薪金制（东马900令吉，西马800令吉）全面实施后，约180万名劳工（去年为150人）将受到影响，当中大部分为外国客工，预计这一年将会有300亿令吉汇出国外。
马来西亚雇主联合会估计，外国客工的薪资调整后，部分中小型企业的成本将增加10%，而每年提升2至3%的生产力，将无法抵销那增加的10%成本。另，最低薪金制带来的影响，也包括外国客工的加班费必须调涨。他们每天平均有4小时的加班费，而在一般假日或国定假日亦会回来加班。
民主行动党建议每月最低薪金应提升至1千100令吉，並给予中小型企业5年宽限期，才推广至外劳。这有助于提高1千420万名大马工人的收入，同时也能保护中小型企业，进而帮助经济成长。
这项调涨本地员工最低薪金的建议，将能抵销百物涨价的压力，亦能鼓励更多的大马人出外找工作。最低薪金1千100令吉也是中小型企业可接受的，条件是不包括外国客工。五年宽限期后，中小型企业需要支付最低薪金给所有本地员工及外国客工
一般而言，当人民失业时，矛头都会指向联邦政府，但，我们现在看到的却是相反，国阵政府反而指责失业人口不做工！难不成国阵政府认为找不到工作是一种错？拿督阿末马斯兰应该撤回他的言论，并且针对其迟钝的言论向48万4千600名失业人士道歉，然後极尽所能制造更多高薪工作才是。
林冠英