LETTER | PSM urges the government to ensure the welfare of around 200,000 cleaners, security guards and gardeners in government schools, hospitals, and health and education institutions to be granted the same minimum wage as the lowest-paid civil servants, which is RM2,000.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on May 1 said the total income for civil servants in the lowest salary scale would thus increase to a minimum of RM2,000 per month from the previous sum of RM1,795.

These cleaners and security guards who worked on government premises had their rights robbed from them when the government pursued the privatisation policy in 1996 and 1997 under the premiership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad and when Anwar Ibrahim helmed the Finance Ministry.

There are close to 100,000 B40 contract workers in 160 government hospitals. Similarly, there are 42,693 security guards working on 10,961 government premises, and another 45,411 cleaners working on education-related premises, mostly government schools and institutions. Together, there are around 200,000 contract workers in schools and government hospitals as security guards or cleaners.

This important essential workforce who keep our hospitals and schools clean and safe has been denied a decent minimum wage. They do not have job security and are denied all and any perks enjoyed by government workers even though the nature of their jobs is also permanent.

In August this year, PKR’s remaining reformist MP Hassan Karim urged the human resources minister not to neglect the welfare of these contract workers, which he said have been exploited by the contractors appointed by the government.

Another routine that happens every time the minimum wage is increased is that these workers do not get paid even the government minimum wage - as the contractors would say the government had not paid them. So they will most likely get their minimum wages much later after the Finance Ministry injects the sum or some will even end up denied these minimum wages.

PSM and Jaringan Pekerja Kontrak kerajaan have been fighting for the government to absorb these workers to become government employees.

Even if that is not possible for now, the human resources minister can ask the government to pay these workers the same minimum wage as civil servants since the government is the paymaster.

S ARUTCHELVAN is PSM deputy chairperson.

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