The Malaysia Trade Union Congress (MTUC) has threatened to call a nationwide strike should it fail to receive a positive response to its demand for a minimum wage policy in the private sector.

The MTUC council, which met two weeks ago, decided that pickets would be held initially and a day-long strike would be held as a last resort.

Its demands will be formally handed to the government on June 20. If there is no positive response within seven days, pickets will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya.

"The council did not rule out the possibility of holding a strike," said secretary-general G Rajasekaran when contacted today.

The last major strike in Malaysia was held in 1999, when some 70,000 plantation workers acted to demand a monthly salary in place of daily wages.

MTUC's latest decision to push for a minimum wage policy comes in the wake of a substantial pay-hike for the 1.2 million civil servants effective July 1. It has been campaigning for this for nine years.

"What we are demanding is a RM900 minimum wage. This is justified because of the public- sector wage increase . Even the lowest paid civil servants will now earn slightly over RM1,000," Rajasekaran said.

"The government has already realised that for people to survive, they need (at least) that amount of money."

In addition, he said the government must also direct the private sector to provide RM300 as cost of living allowance (Cola), in tandem with the almost 100 percent Cola increase for the civil service.

He explained that a precedent was set by the Abdul Razak Hussein administration in 1974, when the government paid a special allowance to the public sector and directed the private sector to follow suit in view of soaring global crude oil prices then.

"We are quite disturbed that the government has not made any announcement for the private sector, which has 8 million workers, to pay Cola. It is quite contemptuous," he added.