PUTRAJAYA, Apr 22: Rubber tappers and general workers in the rubberplantation sector are nowguaranteed basic monthly earnings of RM350 under two collective agreementssigned between the Malayan Agricultural Producers Association (Mapa) andthe National Union of Plantation Workers today (NUPW).

Ending some 40 years of wage disputes, 9,545 rubber tappers and 48,219field and general employees in peninsular Malaysia will benefit from theagreement. Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn, speaking afterwitnessing the signing of the two agreements at the Human ResourceMinistry here, emphasised, however, that the basic monthly guarantee wouldnot be a monthly wage.

"It will be paid to a rubber tapper if his earnings drop to below RM350 ina particular month," he said.

Although the present productivitylinked wage system would be maintained,Fong said, Mapa had agreed to incorporate the guaranteed minimum monthlybasic earnings to all as a "safety net".

Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn said workers covered by theagreements would be granted a wage revision of between eight and 12 percent, effective from Jan 1 for three years. Workers will also be paid thedifference in earnings for the 12 months between Jan 1 and Dec 31 lastyear.

Fong said it was now the responsibility and duty of the NUPW to ensurethat its members abide by the terms of the agreements.

"The workers have all the incentives to work hard to increase theirproduction for the good of the plantation sector and the country. "Before,if it rained and the workers didn't go to work, they didn't get paid. "Nowif the weather does not permit, it is the employer's responsibility toreassign them to other tasks." He said Mapa had also agreed to increasethe daily basic wage of RM11.50 for up to 11kg of dry rubber by oneringgit to RM12.50, as well as provide medical benefits.

Earlier, in his speech, Mapa president Datuk Dr Mohd Noor Ismail said allemployees would receive ex-gratia payments of between RM560 and RM610,which would cost Mapa about RM29.4 million.

Mohd Noor also said the basis of the "price bonus", which since 1968 hadbeen the price of rubber, had been changed to the price of palm oil,adding that this would cost Mapa an additional RM52 million.

Present at the ceremony were Mapa director Mohamad Audong, NUPW generalsecretary Datuk G. Sankaran, NUPW national executive secretary A.Navamukundan, and Industrial Relations director-general Mohd YunusRazzaly.

On the Malaysian Trades Union Congress decision to picket against the lowEmployees' Provident Fund dividend for 2002, Fong appealed to the MTUC notto picket.

He said MTUC should understand the difficulties the nation was facing inthe aftermath of the war in Iraq and the uncertainties revolving aroundthe SARS outbreak.