NIBONG TEBAL: The Human Resources Ministry has received only one complaint from a bus driver with regards to a bus company failing to observe the minimum wage of RM1,700 in the first six months of this year.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim stated that they are consistently conducting surveys and inspections to enforce the minimum wage rate.
"We urge all employers to comply with the minimum wage rate because this is a law that must be strictly observed. It is not a suggestion or a recommendation, but a rate that has been determined by the government," he said while speaking to the press after launching the MyFutureJobs Career and Entrepreneurship Carnival at a hall in the Seberang Perai prison complex on Thursday (July 10).
He mentioned that the Labour Department continuously monitors and carries out inspections to ensure full compliance with the country’s labour laws, including the implementation of the minimum wage.
Sim was responding to questions about whether the ministry had received reports on bus drivers being paid below the minimum wage.
He noted that the ministry received a total of 27 complaints for various reasons from bus companies between last year and June this year (2025), with 19 complaints recorded this year.
"The complaints were mainly related to the enforcement of the Employment Act 1955 and salary-related issues. During the same period, we also received 75 claims for labour cases, including 21 this year," he said.
It was reported that some bus drivers are forced to rely on travel allowances and overtime, often sacrificing their days off to cover living expenses, with a basic salary as low as RM700 a month, or in some cases, no basic salary at all.
The Malaysian Tour Bus Operators Association has refuted claims that full-time tour bus drivers receive a basic salary as low as RM700 a month.
