BUKIT LANJAN: Consider paying workers living wage to keep them happy so that productivity and efficiency are sustained or enhanced

This is Zahka. He is 6-years-old. Zahka lives in the slums of Air Panas in KL, and will unlikely get a chance to go to school. Image via sayaanakbangsamalaysia.net
This is a story of a boy who lives with his mother and father in the slums of Air Panas near Setapak, KL. He goes by the name Zahka. At least that's how he spells it. The six-year-old hasn't been to school, knows only a smattering of Malay and speaks mostly Tamil with his friends and family. He won't be going to school anytime soon if things stay the same … for more, go to http://says.com/my/news/br1mless-photo-story-of-zahka-and-his-family-shows-poverty-in-the-city

BUKIT LANJAN: Consider paying workers living wage to keep them happy so that productivity and efficiency are sustained or enhanced

Employers are urged to heed Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM)’s advice to consider paying living wage.

In such trying and difficult economic times worsened by inflation, employers should consider paying living wage to help workers or employees ease their financial burden and the needs of their loved ones.

“Try to be more considerate of their plight, keep them happy so that productivity and efficiency are not adversely affected,” Gerakan Deputy Speaker Syed Abdul Razak Alsagoff said.

He said BNM had all the financial and economic statistics to more accurately assess the people and country’s status.

“So, if BNM deems it fit to issue such an advice, there must be some really, really socio-economic concerns afflicting Malaysian workers and their loved ones.

“Employers must give serious thought to the issue so that their productivity and business are sustainable to ride through the tough times.

“When the good times return, employers will be rewarded accordingly,” he added.

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Syed Razak, who is Gerakan’s nominee to contest N.37 Bukit Lanjan in the coming 14th General Election (GE14), said BNM had revealed the figures.

“Like what BNM governor Muhammad Ibrahim said, people should be paid so they could live comfortably. The numbers are just a guide.

“Employers need not follow the numbers 100%. Consider paying a percentage of the numbers that is affordable to you and the company.

“As long as the bottom line of the business is still in the tens or hundreds of thousands or millions a year, help your workers and do some national duty to help the nation,” he added.

Here’s what online news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported:

"March 29, 2018

Pay living wage, Bank Negara tells bosses

FMT Reporters

More than a quarter of households in Kuala Lumpur are earning below the living wage.

PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has urged employers to consider the living wage, not just the minimum wage, when rewarding their workers.

The central bank defines living wage as the level of income needed for a household to afford a minimum acceptable standard of living.

BNM governor Muhammad Ibrahim said people should be paid so they could live comfortably.

The central bank estimates that the living wage in Kuala Lumpur for a single adult is RM2,700, a couple without child RM4,500 and couple with two children RM6,500.

“But it doesn’t mean that everyone should be paid according to these numbers. It’s a number that equates the living standards in Kuala Lumpur,” The Edge Markets quoted him as saying in conjunction with the release of the bank’s 2017 annual report.

“The minimum wage is still relevant. But what we are trying to advocate here is that when we pay people, we pay people decently. And for Kuala Lumpur, this is the decent rate. It’s more of a guideline for employers.”

It is estimated that more than a quarter of households in Kuala Lumpur are earning below the living wage.

In a study titled “The living wage: Beyond making ends meet”, BNM said the wage growth in the bottom 40% of households by income (B40) is just enough to keep pace with the rise in the cost of living.

BNM’s annual report said although the B40 group’s small increase in average monthly income over the last few years might be sufficient to keep up with inflation, it falls short of achieving a minimum acceptable standard of living.

The study said a living wage could only be effective if it was set at a realistic and sustainable level, adding that a higher wage should be commensurate with higher productivity.

It warned that persistently weak productivity growth risked lower wage growth, which could hamper the ability of households to have a minimum acceptable living standard."

N.37 LET BUKIT LANJAN SOAR WITH SYED ABDUL RAZAK ALSAGOFF