KOTA KINABALU: The state government has been urged to come out with initiative to ensure wages are paid fairly and reasonably in the state capital.
While some companies are relying on cheap foreign labour, and most of the jobs are done by manpower but not machines, the government must encourage companies to initiate industrial upgrading in the state, reduce reliance on foreign workers and use advanced technology as well as skills to help the businesses to upgrade.
DAP Sabah Publicity Secretary-cum-DAPSY National Public Policy Bureau Director Phoong Jin Zhe stressed this in a statement yesterday.
He said it is crucial to go through this process from a labour-based economy to knowledge-based economy or skilled-based economy.
While lauding and welcoming the statement by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Raymond Tan that companies in Sabah should pay their workers higher pay or salary, Phoong reminded Tan that government’s initiative is equivalently crucial to ensure Sabah to have competitive salary and skilled based economy.
“It’s common knowledge that government plays an important role to regulate the market and ensure economic path of the state is going on right direction. Therefore I appreciate that Tan as a minister is willing to point out the fact that Sabah’s workers have relatively low wages which caused Sabah’s weak competitiveness, because we couldn’t attract any talent to work here, let alone about develop Sabah as skilled-based economic state,” he said.
Tan recently urged employers in Sabah to pay their workers higher to help them cope with the increasingly high cost of living in the state.
He said Sabah needed more trained and skilled workers to support its rapid industrialization, especially in new and growing sectors such as the oil and gas.
Apart from equipping and training workers with suitable skills, he said efforts must also be taken towards attracting and keeping them in the local industry by offering competitive salary.
Phoon said although Tan is saying the right thing, he should be held responsible for the failure of Barisan Nasional government to ensure Sabah has high pay for workers.
“It’s undeniable that Sabah has a lot of talents but unfortunately they rather migrate to elsewhere simply because Sabah cannot provide future for them. I just came back from Australia for vacation, many of my friends who are planning to migrate to Australia told me that low wage is one of the main factors that causes them to leave Sabah and Malaysia,” he said.
“And this is the failure of government. Tan shouldn’t simply run away from his responsibility and pinpoint the companies for this. I understand that some companies are indeed exploiting workers by paying them low wages. However it’s government’s duty to safeguard a fair and just working environment of the state,” he added.
Phoon also reminded Tan that instead of merely finger pointing companies, he could play an aggressive role as State Minister of Industrial Development to ensure Sabah has comprehensive economy development which eventually brings benefit to workers at the bottom.
“I also want to mention that Sabah has serious income inequality problem. Part of the factor is because of its low wage environment of the state. The unfair and unequal environment had caused the state to lose too many talents and potential. We must fix it before it’s too late.
“In short, it should be the government to act in order to get companies willing and able to pay higher to the workers by upgrading our economy thoroughly,” he said.