Kuala lumpur: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on employers to be more considerate and compassionate in ensuring the welfare of workers continues to be protected. He emphasized that peace and rapid national development must be matched by guarantees of well-being for all segments of society, including workers. During the national-level 2026 Workers' Day celebration, he stated that the priority is to ensure that workers' welfare is protected, alongside the country's development and progress.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Prime Minister highlighted the commendable economic performance of the country, with attributes such as strong growth, record-high investments, low unemployment, and robust ringgit performance in Asia. Despite these achievements, he questioned whether workers, particularly those in the lower and middle-income groups, are receiving fair benefits from these developments. He pointed out the discrepancy between the profits of major companies and the challenges faced by workers in receiving fair wage increases.
Anwar urged corporate leaders to reflect on and reassess the treatment of their employees, emphasizing the need for compassion without compromising competitiveness or incurring losses. He stressed the importance of Workers' Day as a platform to recognize workers and strengthen efforts to improve their welfare. Anwar underscored that without the contributions of lower-level workers, the successes of companies and ministers would not be possible.
He also reiterated the MADANI Government's commitment to prioritizing workers' wages as a key policy issue. This effort is set to continue, even though the government has previously increased the minimum wage from RM1,200 to RM1,500 and raised the minimum wage for government-linked companies to RM3,000.
The national-level Workers' Day celebration was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, and other Cabinet members. Also present were Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, senior government officials, as well as representatives of workers' unions and employers.