HR Minister Bashes PAS-Linked School for Disregarding Teachers’ Rights by Underpaying Them & More

Teachers are often considered the most undervalued profession not just in Malaysia, but all over the world.

Considering the fact that they’re responsible for sculpting the minds of children and educating them for their futures, don’t you think they deserve to have their employment rights championed?

HR Minister Steven Sim is now calling out the PAS-affiliated Islamic educational institute, Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam (PASTI), for allegedly disregarding their full-time teachers’ rights through severely underpaying them and more, while calling them ‘volunteers‘.

Responding to politician, Dr Tengku Muhammad Fakhruddin’s statement that calling out PASTI is a sign of hatred against Islamic education, Steven Sim shared,

“I don’t know much about religion, but what is the rationale of this: enforcing workers’ rights equals to hatred against Islamic education?”

“How heavy the burden is for workers to be denied their wages, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. May we all repent.”

He also took to Dewan Rakyat to share that there will be no compromise for anyone who disregards the rights of their employees.

“We will not compromise under anyone whether private, government, political party or non-political party. The (Ministry of Human Resources) will take action if workers’ rights are not defended.”

“Our country has a King and laws, it doesn’t matter who you are, if you’re a private organisation or government companies in the state of Kedah, Penang or political parties, everyone has to follow the law,” he said.

This comes after PASTI teachers were called ‘volunteers’ despite many of them coming forward for years about how they were not paid proper wages, were not given pay slips, EPF and SOCSO contributions, despite working 9 to 10 hour days.

“We are PASTI teachers with a salary of RM600, don’t know under what. There is no SOCSO or KWSP. We work up to 9 to 10 hours a day. No pay slips. No appointment letters. Please help us, MP. We are PAS people too,” the HentiTindasGuruPASTI Twitter page once posted to PAS MP Syahir Sulaiman.

It is important to note that teachers only from certain PASTI branches are enduring this problem.

For more information on this, you can check out the HentiTindasGuruPASTI Twitter page.

What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. 

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