Malaysian Goverment To Initiate Move Over Plantation Wages

PUSA (Bernama) - The federal government is to
talk with the managements of plantations of government-linked companies (GLCs)
on the best way to review the wages of plantation workers in view of the better
prices fetched by commodities now, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said
here Friday.

He said the matter was agreed to at the meeting of the Cabinet last week,
and would be expedited.

"The prices of commodities such as palm oil are good now and, as such, the
plantation workers should get better remuneration," he said during a walkabout
here.

Muhyiddin said the wages of plantation workers in the country were still low
compared to the poverty line, and because of this the plantations were unable to
attract local people as workers.

He reiterated that the federal government had set up a national wage
consultation council under the Human Resources Ministry to look into the
question of salaries in various sectors.

On another matter, Muhyiddin said that under the National Key Results Area
(NKRA), the people of Sarawak would continue to enjoy federal government
attention in the development of basic infrastructure and raising the income of
the rural people.

He said that under the first rolling plan of the 10th Malaysia Plan, RM83.05
million (US$26.79 million) had been allocated by the federal government to
upgrade facilities such as village roads and water and electricity supply in the
rural areas of the east Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Muhyiddin, who is the ruling government Barisan Nasional (National Front-BN)
deputy chairman, said the good relationship between the federal and state
governments had facilitated efforts to provide assistance to the people of
Sarawak who still needed much aid and support from the government.