​​Chicken farmers in Malaysia face rising costs due to steep r | Singapore Matters

​​Chicken farmers in Malaysia face rising costs due to steep rises in the cost of chicken feed. This, in turn, results in rises in the price of chickens. Imagine the impact of raising the minimum wage on farmers already struggling with rising costs.

Raising the minimum wage to cope with inflation is more a political solution than a practical one. It's easy to do and good for politicians seen as having heart. But does it solve any problem? Global inflation affects everyone, from businesses to consumers.

Wages must be pecked to productivity.

Some gave the counter argument that the Progressive Wage Model also has a minimum wage feature in it.

The differences, friends, are many.

There is really nothing wrong with the minimum wage per se. Indeed, there is a place for a minimum wage to prevent exploitation of workers. But how it is being achieved is important.

The PWM is sector-specific. The min wage of a sector-specific wage model is not arbitrarily set. This is important. It is carefully negotiated between stakeholders - employers and unions - and set at a sustainable level. This is very important. It was not done in a day. Much effort is put into it to find an optimal wage level. The PWM is therefore hard work. The min wage in a PWM is also pecked to productivity with progressive steps. This is why it works.

The Opposition has often complained that it takes so long for a PWM to be introduced. It is precisely because of the aforementioned points that getting a PWM done takes time. It is certainly not a lazy solution.