From:	"Parti Sosialis Malaysia PSM" <parti_sosialis@hotmail.com>
Subject:	Plantation workers wish for merdeka !
Date:	Thu, 31 Aug 2000 04:19:08 MYT

JAWATANKUASA SOKONGAN MASYARAKAT LADANG
D/a 26A, Tingkat Jaya 1, Taman Tasek Jaya, 31400 Ipoh, Perak. Tel./Faks:
05-546160830/8/2000To Chief Editor,News Desk

PRESS STATEMENT: 31 AUGUST 2000

MONTHLY WAGE ISSUE - MERDEKA WISH :
PLANTATION WORKERS WISH TO HEAR IMPLEMENTATION OF MONTHLY WAGE ON THE
INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!
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While the whole nation is engrossed in the Kerana Mu Malaysia - National Day
Celebration, the plantation workers; one of the pioneers in nation
development remain skeptical about their future. They have two dreams and
one worry. They dream and hope that monthly wages will be implemented and
their housing woes would be solved.

Nevertheless, they worry that their plight might fall on deaf ears.
Since March 2000, the Government had officially promised to give monthly
wage to plantation workers. The promises in fact rooted since 1990 when the
government intervened and stopped almost 300,000 workers from continuing
with their strike demanding monthly wages. Dato S. Samy Vellu then promised
to resolve the issue,failing which he promised to resign from politics. Now,
ten years later, in the new millennium, he repeated again his promise to
resign in May 2000 if workers are not given monthly wages.

The struggle for monthly wages has been a long and tiring one. The
plantation owners, then foreign and now local and mostly controlled by
public sector share-holders continue to neglect the plantation community.
Over the years till to date all they got was promises…..promises and
promises during elections…political mileage for politicians and profit for
owners.

While plantation companies have ventured into new business and new
opportunity, the plantation workers are subjected to colonial wage system.

The last one year saw, the intensification of assurance from the government
and especially from the Human resource Minister.
2 March 2000 (Star): Datuk Fong Chan Onn said - study on monthly wage by
University Malaya Consultants appointed by government to formulate a
permanent pay scheme for daily rated estate workers.

8 March 2000 (Star): Datuk Fong Chan Onn said - the study is expected to be
completed in three months.
1 Jun 2000 (Sun) : Datuk Fong Chan Onn said - the results of the study,
should be in by the end of next month.
1 August 2000 (Malaysia Nanban, Tamil) : Datuk Fong Chan Onn said - the
study completed and submitted to ministry. We will go through and a good
results will be announce before end of the month.

We strongly hope that on August 31st. 2000, Datuk Fong Chan Onn would
deliver the good news to all plantation workers who have been waiting for
ages. And the independence day for once would bring the true meaning of
"merdeka" to these pioneers in nation development.The plantation workers
hope for  Merdeka is :
(i) Monthly wages be implemented to all workers (including palm-oil
workers)without any further delay or reasoning.
(ii) Housing scheme for all workers.

LETS MAKE THE MERDEKA CELEBRATION MORE MEANINGFUL IMPLEMENT MONTHLY WAGES
AND HOUSING

SELAMAT HARI MERDEKA

Untuk Keterangan Lanjut Hubungi:

Letchumi Devi 03-87374772 or 03-2985271
Sekar 012-5187744
Ravi  012-3115090Kenyataan

Dikeluarkan Oleh,

Letchumi Devi
Penyelaras
Jawatankuasa Sokongan Masyarakat Ladang