Human Resources Minister Steven Sim speaking at the event. — Photo: ART CHEN / The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Media companies should take a more active role in supporting their part-time workers by contributing to the government's protection scheme, says Steven Sim Chee Keong.
The Human Resources Minister said the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS) was created under the Social Security Organisation (Socso) to provide protection to individuals who are self-employed under the provisions of the Self-Employment Social Security Act 2017.
"The government already subsidises 70% of the cost, so we ask media companies to cover the remaining 30%," he told the press after a breaking of fast event by the ministry and HRD Corp here Monday (March 24).
Sim said the SKSPS protection scheme is specifically designed for self-employed individuals, including media practitioners such as part-time journalists, stringers, photographers and videographers.
"Last year, the programme saw approximately 700 contributors from the media sector and 500 from the photography sector.
"This scheme provides a social safety net for our media practitioners, especially those who frequently travel to cover current events," he said.
Comparing with the ministers' usually busy and packed schedule, Sim said media practitioners were equally tied up as they have to be "everywhere the ministers go".
In addition to these immediate measures, Sim noted the forthcoming Gig Workers Bill is set to extend protections to media workers.
"With this act, we can address issues such as grievances and social security concerns without solely relying on the goodwill of employers," he said.
Also present were Star Media Group (SMG) group chief executive officer Chan Seng Fatt and SMG chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng.
Sim also addressed concerns from employers regarding the Bill, which was almost tabled in the last Dewan Rakyat sitting, attributing them to Socso contributions and potential business costs.
"Maybe they are not aware of this plan. Socso will cover the cost of integrating platform applications with the employers' system by using API (Application Programming Interface) method.
"No additional fees will be imposed on them, except there may be complying costs, like where they can't simply terminate a worker unilaterally," he said, adding that more than 20 engagement sessions involving over 3,000 stakeholders have been conducted nationwide.
Acknowledging the concerns, Sim highlighted the government's commitment to ensure the new law not only protects workers but also aligns with the government's aspirations to develop the national economy.
"Consequently, the Cabinet has instructed us to postpone the tabling to allow for continued stakeholder engagement, with the expectation of presenting it in the next parliamentary session," he said.
Sim noted the ministry is restructuring its processes, including those of its agencies, which has improved efficiency by reducing bureaucratic procedures.
This, he said, included the HRD Corp levy application processing time to just a day now, from the previous seven to 14 days.
"Now, we are aiming to approve it to within an hour.
"Technology and digitalisation have been crucial in these improvements, and we encourage employers to utilise levies for training and development," he noted.
With the HRD Corp recording the highest levy collection in its history at approximately RM2.3bil last year, Sim said nearly 98% was approved for use, showcasing the government's commitment to worker development.
"We don't want employers to keep the money with us, we want them to use it for workers' training," he added.
