Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Muhyiddin, Education Minister and DPM, how come security guards in schools not paid minimum wage?

I met with a security guard at a government school, and was shocked that he was still not getting RM900 (the Minimum Wage)

The guard does not work for the government - but for a company that has managed to get the contract to provide security guards for the school.

How did the government even enter into a contract with such a company that is not even paying its employees the basic minimum wage of RM900 - Who is to blame? The Malaysian government, and since this is a security guard at a government school - then it must be the responsibility of our Education Minister. He is the Deputy Prime Minister, and that is even more embarrassing. 

How could you not ensure that the company you have outsourced the task of providing security for government schools is paying their employees minimum wages? Are such companies violating other worker rights? Or does the Minister and the government just do  not care for these workers?

How many hours do these 'security personnel' work? Well, 7.00pm to 7am - 12 hours a day. Should they not be working 8 hours per day? Oh, and if they are, is this then not over the stipulated monthly overtime provided for in law?

I asked the guard, why he was not complaining? Well, the answer was that if he complained, his boss will terminate him ... Well, this was a Malaysian worker... and here he was willing to be 'continued to be 'exploited' denied of the minimum wage yet in FEAR of claiming his rights for fear of being dismissed.

How many a worker in Malaysia are in such situations - exploited and fearful of complaining and claiming rights. This situation is such because many of these workers are in a most precarious form of employment - short-term contracts or under the 'contractor for labour system'. And secondly, our system of access to justice for the exploited worker really is not efficient and swift - whereby many an ordinary exploited worker really have lost faith in it, so much so even when exploited and/or rights violated,,,,they just walk away...not even wanting to try and get justice. 

Well, happy the employer....happy also a government that is not for worker rights and welfare?

So, that may explain why these security company who has managed to secure a government contract to provide security in government schools is so confident that they can BREAK THE LAW and get away with it - and even paying their employees a minimum wage. 

What about the the other people working in government establishments? 

Will our Education Minister do anything?



 

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