PUTRAJAYA: The government plans to amend the National Wages Consultative Council Act to make it compulsory for employers to pay graduates a minimum starting salary, says Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
He said the proposed amendments would introduce educational qualifications as a factor in determining minimum wages, addressing a gap in the existing legislation.
The Act currently does not contain specific provisions allowing minimum wages to be prescribed according to workers' educational qualifications.
Ramanan said the ministry would expedite the preparation of the necessary papers and legislative amendments.
"We will bring it forward as soon as possible.
"We need to prepare the necessary papers, and there is a lot that we want to do immediately," he told reporters at a press conference here.
He was responding to a question on when the proposed amendments, including provisions linking salaries to educational qualifications, would be brought before parliament.
However, he did not specify when the amendments would be tabled.
The proposed legal changes follow the government's announcement under the 2027 Budget of a RM2,500 minimum starting salary framework for graduates and semi-skilled workers.
Ramanan said the ministry's immediate approach would be to introduce the salary framework through guidelines, pending the legal changes required to make minimum graduate salaries compulsory.
The guidelines are targeted for implementation in June 2027, while the proposed amendments would provide the legal basis for mandatory enforcement at a later stage.
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