PLUS suffers RM400 million loss over three months of MCO - MD

MELAKA: PLUS Malaysia Bhd (PLUS) suffered a loss of RM400 million over three months, starting from March, due to the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PLUS managing director (MD) Datuk Azman Ismail said the number of vehicles on the highways under the company's operations fell by 90 per cent during the period, from 1.7 million per day to 170,000 per day.

"Our revenue fell by 90 per cent in March, April and May but it increased again starting June 6 after the government allowed inter-state travels.

"RM400 million cannot be recovered and it indirectly affects the company and employees," he said during the Executive Talk: Leadership In Steering The Organisation Across Turbulent Times Towards Recovery From COVID-19 at the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) here, today.

He said the PLUS management will have to make many important decisions to avoid a big impact on PLUS' operations and employee welfare with the agreement of the management and the trade union.

Azman said this includes no organisation of various programmes or festive celebrations such as Hari Raya, no new uniforms and no salary increases this year.

"Whatever it is, I will not cut the salaries of the workers and will do my best to ensure that about 3,800 people can continue to work in this difficult situation," he said.

Azman added that the number of vehicles using PLUS highways has increased to 1.5 million a day, and it is expected to continue to increase if the government fully opens the Malaysia-Singapore border in the future.

Meanwhile, he said that PLUS has not forgotten its corporate social responsibility towards the frontliners, especially those in the hospitals nationwide who are dealing with the pandemic.

"PLUS has channelled RM1.2 million to provide personal protective equipment and medical equipment to be donated to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Sungai Buloh Hospital.

"Besides that, PLUS employees also collected RM128,000 to be donated in the form of medical facilities to seven hospitals along the PLUS highway," he said.

-- BERNAMA