MEF claims that employers lost up to RM1 billion because Malaysian workers feign illness to get sick leave.

If at all the MEF’s so-called study is true then it shows that Malaysian employers are inept human resources managers to let so many employees get away with such a major misconduct.

The law on dismissal is crystal clear - feigning illness to get sick leave is fraudulent misconduct and warrants dismissal. Since MEF and employers have done nothing apart from claiming RM1 billion losses, then they have condoned such actions.

So either MEF’s so-called study is not credible or Malaysian employers are hopeless  human resources managers. No wonder we are stuck in this low-income trap.

MEF’s rationale for not increasing the retirement age is that Malaysian workers nearing retirement age are deadwood. This again reflects the failure of Malaysian employers to embrace modern human resources management.

It is very insulting to all Malaysian workers and implies that those who are 54 years are all sick, unproductive and problematic. Productivity and efficiency is not an age issue. It is a management issue. This must be addressed whether the retirement age is increased or not. A worker may be unproductive whether he is 30, 50, 54 or 56 years old.

If we were to accept MEF’s argument, then there should not be a retirement age at all; everybody will have to be on a yearly, monthly or even daily contract so that they can throw out deadwood  workers any time.

MEF’s stance is directly responsible for the 3 million foreign workers in the country, which the country wants to abolish. Just compare Changi airport in Singapore where Singaporeans in their late fifties and early sixties are efficiently maintaining the airport, while KLIA is flooded with Bangladeshis.

By going against worldwide consensus to increase the retirement age, which are backed by more than enough solid evidence that increasing retirement age  will lead to increased national productivity, better old age protection and reduced strain on the government budget, MEF is only interested in its members’ profit and it is a disservice to our country Malaysia.

MEF’s undying opposition to a minimum wage and its call to the government to maintain subsidies is a cunning  scheme to get the government to continue to subsidise wages so that they can enjoy more profits.

Perhaps the government should do a study to determine the level of wages in Malaysia as a proportion to corporate profits and the gross national product of Malaysia.

The writer is secretary, MTUC Sarawak.