Unemployed choosy? No minister, wages just too low - PSM

PSM has expressed discordant views with Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar, who claimed that unemployed Malaysians are “too choosy about jobs”.

“That is not true at all because the root cause of the issue is due to low wages,” said its worker’s bureau coordinator Sivaranjani Manickam.

She also chided Sivakumar (above) for his remark, asking the latter to quit spouting “pro-capitalist” statements as “he does not have the political will”.

“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. He needs to remember that the people were the ones who voted him as an MP.

“In fact, his salary which is worth hundreds of thousands a year is the result of the people’s blood and sweat,” Sivaranjani said.

According to a study from Khazanah Research Institute, she said the salary increment rate is too low since a few decades ago, compared to the cost of living.

Sivaranjani added that a minimum wage of RM1,500 is implemented in some workforces, but it is still below the nation’s poverty line, which is RM2,200.

“However, corporate (sectors) and companies are unwilling to raise the worker’s wages because of the weakness in the labour collective power in Malaysia.

“Low salary is the main factor why youths are not interested in available jobs in Malaysia.

“Youths are willing to wake up at 3am in the morning to go to work in Singapore, as floor cleaners,” she said, adding that some are prepared to leave their family behind and work in foreign countries as fruit pickers for higher pay.

Therefore, Sivaranjani urged the government to take strong measures to increase wages by facilitating the establishment of labour unions in the country.

Demand for labour is high?

Yesterday, Sivakumar assured that there will be no reduction in the workforce if more existing monopolies are dismantled.

He said the issue does not arise because the demand for labour is high.

Sivakumar was quoted as saying: “The problem I see is that many of the unemployed are too choosy about jobs.

“If we want to look at the vacancies that exist, there’s a lot. So, I don’t think this process will have any adverse effect on existing jobs, there is no problem.”

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