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08-May-08 10:55 [Pay and Reward]
MTUC protests over minimum wage The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) staged a peaceful protest outside the country's parliament over increases in the national minimum wage.
Supporters congregated outside the building to call for a RM900 (£143.27) minimum wage as well as a cost of living allowance of RM300.
MTUC president, Syed Shahir Mohamud, had hoped to present prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with a 14-page dossier outlining their concerns, however Mr Badawi was in Dubai.
He told the Star that the government's claims that factors such as inflation were the main stumbling blocks to the wage increase were unacceptable.
"This is a national issue that affects everyone, and the government should not delay it any further. How can inflation be used as an excuse when in 2007, a 7.5 per cent increase in civil servants salary had also been announced," Mr Mohamud said.
Police eventually dispersed the crowd at around 11:30GMT, after more than two and a half hours of protests.
The MTUC has been in existence since 1949.
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