Minimum wage is long overdue

Source: The Sun Daily
Updated: 09:33AM Fri, 13 Aug 2010
by Petra Gimbad

I HAVE followed the minimum wage coverage in the media with interest. Our lack of better policy and legislation enforcing workers’ rights leads to abuse of both Malaysians and foreigners. For foreigners in particular, the degree of exploitation is rampant for a country priding itself upon its Asian values and reputation for kind hospitality.

We argue that what we pay in ringgit, translates into much more in Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Many Malaysians seek Australian, American and British salaries overseas. Why not ask our foreign employers to reduce them, since the strength of dollars and pounds translate to so much in ringgit back home, especially for those who do not have mouths to feed?

Recently, Malaysia turned down an important suggestion from Indonesia: that a minimum wage of RM800 should be imposed for persons seeking to employ Indonesian domestic help. The reason was disappointing. According to the Human Resources Ministry, we do not implement a minimum wage in Malaysia, our wages are based on market forces and this is the basis upon which our government operates.

With a minimum wage of RM800 imposed, this would equate to RM200 a week. My appalled mother, the homemaker, said: "I pity these domestic help, some don’t get days off. RM800? I own my house, yet the work never ends. I love you all, but it’s exhausting – and this is my family."

Malaysian and Philippine governments hold an existing agreement providing the right to one day off each week for Filipina domestic help. It would be encouraging if the same right was upheld not just for domestic help, but all foreign workers contributing to our country.

An argument against domestic help having days off is: "These girls are young and they will find boyfriends, run away and get pregnant."

If this were the case, all young Malaysian girls and women should be home-schooled and not allowed out of the house until husbands or employers who will provide 24-hour supervision are found. Obviously, all we want to do is conceive babies with taxi drivers, factory and construction workers.

Many women use their days off to attend church and meet friends to share their loneliness, heartaches and exchange ideas on how they can perform work better. We need peers who understand us – this is why Malaysian associations are formed overseas, to provide the empathy only persons from similar backgrounds can provide. Sex education, mental support by the agency and healthy social networks require implementation.

Some employers are leading examples. We know of employers who pay their live-in help their deserved salaries, allow days off and teach their children that domestic help is a privilege, not a right.

Their children learn by example what an employee deserves and will be less accepting of abuse when they grow up and enter the workforce.

Many employers understand that human resources are fraught with the weaknesses that make us human: like any other organisation, there will be turnover. Therefore, maids who do not fit the needs of the family have nothing to do with being "backward" Cambodians, Indonesians or Filipinos: they are young, adjusting to a different culture (like many of our young who study overseas and who we hope meet nice people during the duration of their university study) and require proper training from agencies before employment.

In human resources, the Malaysian understanding is if the employer and employee are an inaccurate fit, the employer has the right to employ another and the employee has the right to resign. The same applies in the area of domestic help: there is no shortage of foreign help and if there is a proper legal and organisational structure in place, a maid should be able to resign without fear of abuse by either her agency or employer.

There are employers who understand that passports should be held by its owner and not the maid agency or the employer. When parents send their children overseas to study they stress the importance of holding one’s passport. One’s passport is one’s responsibility: even one’s friends should not be entrusted with this unless exceptional circumstances arise. These should apply to all industries staffed by foreign workers.

The absence of a minimum wage is a contributing factor to family and child poverty for Malaysians and foreigners, preventing many from earning enough to put food on the table, putting aside costs of school and work transport, school uniforms, exam fees and the tuition that has become necessary to succeed academically. I have Malaysian friends who go hungry on some days to send money to the kampung.

Both Malaysians and foreigners have suffered enough abuse and exploitation. We need to put in place the necessary structures, policies and enforce the law to end this.

Tenaganita provides legal aid and advocacy to foreign workers (03-26913691), WAO and AWAM provide legal aid and counselling to physically and sexually abused women, Malaysian and non-Malaysian (03-79575636/0636, 03-78774221). Comments: letters@thesundaily.com