Latest news with #PHEKS
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Over RM1.5 million in PHEKS 2025 aid approved for 114 Southern Zone applications
JOHOR BAHRU: A total of RM1.5 million has been approved for 114 applications from the Southern Zone under the 2025 Trade Union Affairs Programme (PHEKS), said Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad. He said the amount marked a significant increase from the RM674,000 disbursed for 85 applications in the same zone in 2024, reflecting the growing participation in the ministry's empowerment programmes. 'For the Southern Zone, which covers Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan, 195 applications amounting to over RM3 million have been received so far,' he added. 'Out of the total, 114 applications have been approved, involving an allocation of RM1,505,462,' he told reporters after officiating the Southern Zone PHEKS 2025 Assistance presentation ceremony here today. Also present were JHEKS director-general Mohd Asri Abdul Wahab, Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS) deputy president II Azman Shah Abdul Rahman, and Union Network International-Malaysian Liaison Council (UNI-MLC) president Datuk Mohammed Shafie BP Mammal. Abdul Rahman said Johor received the highest allocation, amounting to RM703,565 for 61 applications, followed by Negeri Sembilan with RM441,900 for 32 applications, and Melaka with RM359,998 for 21 applications. He also emphasised that the annual allocation to trade unions under the PHEKS programme has steadily increased over the past three years, underscoring the government's ongoing commitment to strengthening the role of unions as strategic partners in the national labour ecosystem. 'In 2023, the government allocated RM2.6 million. This increased to RM5.8 million in 2024, and for this year, RM10 million has been set aside to empower trade unions nationwide. 'We hope this figure will continue to grow, surpassing RM10 million in 2026,' he said. At the same event, Abdul Rahman also presented assistance to union representatives and officiated the launch of two research publications on trade unions titled 'The Role of Trade Unions in Combating Forced Labour Issue in Malaysia' and 'SSPA: Heading to a More Secure Retirement'. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA), in a statement, disclosed that trade union membership in Malaysia has now surpassed 1 million, with 1,038,435 registered members across 762 unions as of 2024.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Over RM1.5 million in PHEKS 2025 aid approved
JOHOR BAHRU: A total of RM1.5 million has been approved for 114 applications from the Southern Zone under the 2025 Trade Union Affairs Programme (PHEKS), said Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad. He said the amount marked a significant increase from the RM674,000 disbursed for 85 applications in the same zone in 2024, reflecting the growing participation in the ministry's empowerment programmes. 'For the Southern Zone, which covers Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan, 195 applications amounting to over RM3 million have been received so far,' he added. 'Out of the total, 114 applications have been approved, involving an allocation of RM1,505,462,' he told reporters after officiating the Southern Zone PHEKS 2025 Assistance presentation ceremony here today. Also present were JHEKS director-general Mohd Asri Abdul Wahab, Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS) deputy president II Azman Shah Abdul Rahman, and Union Network International-Malaysian Liaison Council (UNI-MLC) president Datuk Mohammed Shafie BP Mammal. Abdul Rahman said Johor received the highest allocation, amounting to RM703,565 for 61 applications, followed by Negeri Sembilan with RM441,900 for 32 applications, and Melaka with RM359,998 for 21 applications. He also emphasised that the annual allocation to trade unions under the PHEKS programme has steadily increased over the past three years, underscoring the government's ongoing commitment to strengthening the role of unions as strategic partners in the national labour ecosystem. 'In 2023, the government allocated RM2.6 million. This increased to RM5.8 million in 2024, and for this year, RM10 million has been set aside to empower trade unions nationwide. 'We hope this figure will continue to grow, surpassing RM10 million in 2026,' he said. At the same event, Abdul Rahman also presented assistance to union representatives and officiated the launch of two research publications on trade unions titled 'The Role of Trade Unions in Combating Forced Labour Issue in Malaysia' and 'SSPA: Heading to a More Secure Retirement'. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA), in a statement, disclosed that trade union membership in Malaysia has now surpassed 1 million, with 1,038,435 registered members across 762 unions as of 2024.
The Star
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Retirement review underway
Sim: Proposal to raise limit to 65 being studied by govt panel KLANG: The Human Resources Ministry is currently reviewing the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, said Minister Steven Sim ( pic ). He said the matter is being examined by a special committee led by the ministry's deputy secretary-general (policy and international), Dr Mohd Shaharin Umar, as it involves labour laws that fall under the ministry's purview. He said the ministry will seek input and feedback from stakeholders – especially from the public sector, workers and employers – during the study to ensure compliance with international best practices. 'This committee will assess the suitability of raising the retirement age in Malaysia, as there are both pros and cons, along with certain challenges. However, within the ministry, labour market reforms includes reviewing all 28 existing labour laws. 'This is because some of these laws are outdated. We will look at ways to refine and harmonise them, and there are also (provisions) that we need to abolish or update,' Sim said after the central-level 2025 Union Affairs Development Grant (PHEKS) handover ceremony here yesterday. On Thursday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65 is among the issues requiring attention and careful in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had previously proposed that the government consider raising the mandatory retirement age. Azalina, who made the suggestion in her personal capacity, said it would be a loss for individuals to retire at 60 when they are still energetic, productive, and capable of contributing to the the event, Sim said the government had allocated RM10mil this year, up from RM5.8mil in 2024, marking the highest amount in the history of PHEKS implementation, as reported by Bernama. He said the move reflected the ministry's efforts to further strengthen the trade union movement in Malaysia, with the assistance to be used for training and educational programmes aimed at equipping union members with skills in areas such as management and leadership. 'What we are introducing this year focuses on digitalisation, encouraging unions to transition to computer technology and digital systems' he said. Of the 1,049 assistance applications received, 551 were approved, amounting to RM7.15mil, including 138 applications for the central zone, which covers Selangor and the Federal Territory, worth RM2.1mil.
New Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Sim: Structural flaws, weak economy behind low graduate wages
SHAH ALAM: The growing concern over university graduates earning below RM3,000 a month stems from a deeper, structural flaw in Malaysia's economy, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim. He said if the country's economic value improves, university graduates will have better chances at securing jobs with fair and appropriate salaries that reflect their qualifications. "The economic pattern over the past 20 to 30 years has resulted in society being in a middle-income trap. "One paradox is that every year, we produce 300,000 university graduates, and another 100,000 TVET graduates – a total of 400,000 highly educated Malaysians. "But each year, our economy is only able to generate 50,000 high-skilled and high-value jobs. There's a clear gap — that's why we call it a paradox. "What we must do now is raise our economic value so that companies in Malaysia can create more high-value jobs," he said. Sim said this during a press conference after officiating the Central Zone-level handover ceremony for the 2025 Trade Union Affairs Programme Assistance (PHEKS) here. Sim said concerns over graduates earning salaries that do not match their qualifications had been raised before, and the government had taken steps through the introduction of the Progressive Wage Policy. "This wage guideline is not mandatory, but we encourage employers to adopt it. For instance, it outlines what a fair starting salary should be for an engineer. "This is the first time such a guideline has been published. It creates awareness and helps establish a clearer benchmark for salary negotiations within the market." Sim also encouraged workers to join trade unions so that salaries and other benefits can be fairly negotiated with employers. Previously, it was reported that over 65 per cent of degree holders in Malaysia earn less than RM3,000 per month, resulting in a "just enough" income with little room to save, invest, or climb the social ladder. In addition, over 70 per cent of graduates are reportedly working in semi-skilled or low-skilled sectors. These findings were part of the Malaysia Labour Market Insight Series study titled "The 'Barely Enough Salary' Economy: When Higher Education Becomes an Economic Risk".
Barnama
23-05-2025
- Business
- Barnama
KESUMA Studying Proposal To Raise Retirement Age
KLANG, May 23 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma) is currently reviewing the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, said Minister Steven Sim. He said the matter was being examined by a special committee led by Kesuma's deputy secretary-general (Policy and International) Dr Mohd Shaharin Umar as it involved labour laws which fell under the ministry's purview. He said Kesuma would seek input and feedback from stakeholders, especially the public sector, workers, and employers, during the study to ensure compliance with international best practices. 'This committee will look at the suitability of raising the retirement age in Malaysia as there are pros and cons, along with certain challenges. However, within the ministry, part of labour market reforms involves reviewing all 28 existing labour laws. 'This is because some of these laws are outdated. We will look at ways to refine and harmonise them, and there are also (provisions) that we need to abolish or update,' he said after the central-level 2025 Union Affairs Development Grant (PHEKS) handover ceremony here today. Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65 was among the issues requiring attention and careful consideration. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had previously proposed that the government consider raising the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65. Azalina, who made the suggestion in her personal capacity, said it would be a loss for individuals to retire at 60 when they were still energetic, productive and capable of contributing to the workforce. Regarding today's event, Sim said the government had allocated a total of RM10 million this year, up from RM5.8 million in 2024, marking the highest amount in the history of PHEKS implementation.
