KUALA LUMPUR, Sat. (29 December,2001) - The Malaysian plantation industrywill collapse if workers are given monthly salaries.

Consolidated Plantations Bhd managing director Syed Tamin Syed Mohamadsaid if workers were paid basic salaries, they would take advantage of thesituation and abscond from work.

"I will not agree to pay monthly wages to plantation workers because ofthis reason," he said.

"We pay them more than the RM325, I guarantee. Apart from that, we alsoprovide living quarters in every estate, "he said.

Consolidated Plantations, which deals in oil palm and rubber, is awholly-owned subsidiary of Sime Darby Bhd.

Syed Tamin said even now, when it rained, or when someone in the familyfell ill or died, workers did not show up for work.

"There is no way to handle some of these workers and we can't handleproblems like that," he said.

He added that there would be an increase in production costs if workerswere given montly salaries.

NUPW executive secretary A. Navamukundan said the union had submitted twoproposals to the Malayan Agricultural Producers Association in Octoberasking for fixed montly wages for rubber tappers and general workers.

This includes a memorandum of claims which states the basic monthlysalaries and revision of fringe benefits for rubber tappers and field andgeneral workers.

"We are waiting for MAPA to study our proposals and submit counterproposals," he said.

Navamukundan added that the proposed wage systems incorporate a basicmonthly salary.

"We are also waiting for MAPA to set dates for negotiations to discuss thematter," he said.

When asked about counter proposals from MAPA, Syed Tamin, who is also aMAPA council member, said he was not aware of them.

Early this year, the National Union of Plantation Workers and MAPA hadagreed that the minimum monthly income for oil palm workers be set atRM325.

However, these proposals had not been well-received by MAPA, which wasconcerned about the cost involved in implementing the system.

©New Straits Times (M) Berhad