KUALA LUMPUR: In line with our commitment to make changes for the better and to mitigate against worsening social inequity, Gamuda has decided that it is timely to revise our internal minimum wage policy for our workforce across the Group.

Effective 1st May 2022, Gamuda will increase the minimum wage from RM1,200 to RM1,600 for our foreign workers.

Our Group’s long-standing policy has been to provide accommodation to our foreign workers at purpose-built Centralised Labour Quarters (CLQs) at no cost to them.

Our CLQs have standard design specifications to ensure that our workforce is housed comfortably and safely with access to amenities such as communal kitchens, laundry, sundry shops and medical facilities as well as recreational facilities like futsal courts, where space permits.

We are convinced through our experience over the years that providing comfortable accommodation and a conducive living environment for our workers translates to improved morale and productivity at the workplace.

While we have ensured that our own directly hired workers are not exposed to long-term bondage as we cover their agent or middlemen fees, we will work with our extended supply chain and sub-contractors in the next two years to align them with our requirements.

This bondage risk has to be curbed and managed moving forward given that such middlemen fees have been an avenue for exploitation of highly vulnerable foreign workers, in our industry and at large.

We will also be increasing the entry level pay for fresh graduates joining the Gamuda Group from RM3,300 to RM3,500 for engineers, and from RM3,000 to RM3,200 for non-engineering graduates.

We have reviewed these levels to ensure that our entry level offers are competitive and within the top quartile of our industry to enable our Group to continuously attract and develop the necessary talent for our business growth.

The minimum wage and graduate entry level pay increases raises the floor for the Group’s baseline pay and consequently our workforce in the immediate pay bands above this (up to RM5,000) will also enjoy a cascaded pay increase to adjust for internal equity.