Illustrative image (Source: https://www.theedgemarkets.com)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - The monthly minimum wage in Malaysia will be raised to 1,200 RM (290USD), starting January 2020, in order to improve the people’s living standards.
Malaysian Finance MinisterLim Guan Eng made the announcement when tabling the country’s Budget 2020 atthe Parliament on October 11.
Lim stressed that the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led government will also makecompulsory overtime pay for workers who earn 4,000 RM per month and below.
Malaysia has applied a minimum wage of 1,100 RM per month since January 2019.
Lim said the government will also review theEmployment Act 1955 in order to increase maternity leave from 60 days to 90days effective in 2021, and extend the eligibility to overtime from thoseearning less 2,000 RM to those earning less than 4,000 RM per month.
The Budget 2020 is one of the key issuesdiscussed during the 3rd session of the ongoing 14th Parliamentsitting, which opened on October 7.
It is expected to reflect the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, which wasproposed by the government, with the aim of restructuring the national economyand abridging between the rich and the poor.
Public opinion in Malaysia said that the 2020 Budget is the hinge for theMalaysian government, towards the goal of re-establishing the national budgetstability in 2022, after receiving the budget with a huge debt of up to 250million USD from the predecessor government./.
VNA
