adminKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 (Bernama) — The UNI Malaysia Labour Centre (UNI-MLC) today maintained that the implementation of LINDUNG 24 Jam should not be abolished, but instead improved to ensure workers have more comprehensive social protection.
Its president Datuk Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal said LINDUNG 24 Jam was a crucial reform in bridging the protection gap previously faced by workers involved in accidents outside working hours and not directly related to their employment.
He said prior to the implementation of the scheme, accidents unrelated to employment were generally not covered under the Employment Injury Scheme, leaving some workers who suffered accidents, including permanent disability, without adequate protection.
“Based on UNI-MLC’s observations through our representatives involved in the Social Security Appellate Board (JRKS), out of a number of appeals submitted, only a small fraction, estimated at one or two out of every 20 cases, could be approved for being linked to Employment Injury.
“The rest did not meet the eligibility requirements under existing provisions. However, they remain workers who have suffered accidents and some among them have sustained permanent disability,” he said in a statement today.
Mohamed Shafie said the situation could have a major impact on the lives of workers and their families, including loss of income, inability to continue working and loss of the family’s primary source of income.
In this regard, he said UNI-MLC was of the view that workers required more comprehensive protection for non-employment injury accidents, including Medical Benefits, Temporary Disablement Benefits, Permanent Disablement Benefits and Dependants’ Benefits, subject to stipulated conditions.
Regarding contributions, he said UNI-MLC acknowledged that the full rate of 1.25 per cent of a salary, with a salary ceiling of RM6,000, had implications for workers’ incomes, but supported its phased implementation.
“The first phase is 0.75 per cent starting in June 2026, followed by one per cent starting in June 2028 and 1.25 per cent starting in June 2031,” he said.
He noted that during this period, there was room for the government to reassess the national minimum wage rate from the current RM1,700 to a better wage structure to help alleviate the pressure caused by the increase in statutory contributions.
Mohamed Shafie said calls for the collection of contributions to be halted were not a solution, as they risked reopening the protection gap that LINDUNG 24 Jam was attempting to address.
“If the contribution rate needs to be reviewed or a contribution-sharing mechanism between workers and employers is to be considered, the matter can be discussed through a proper engagement process,” he said.
He also called on the government, the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO), employers and workers’ representatives to return to the negotiating table to evaluate aspects of the contribution rate, financing mechanism, benefit levels and the scheme’s implementation methods.
— BERNAMA
