KUALA LUMPUR: Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today held a meeting with about 30 representatives of media organisations to discuss the welfare of media personnel.
In a closed-door discussion that lasted over an hour at the Parliament Building, several key issues were discussed, particularly the problem of delayed payment of salaries, failure to pay compensation, job loss and non-compliance with employee benefits.
For the past few months, the Communications Ministry has received reports from media practitioners that employers have failed to pay their salaries on time, as well as neglecting contributions, including to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
Apart from the ministry, other affected parties have also filed police reports and complaints to the Manpower Department (JTK) regarding the neglect of employers.
At the meeting, Fahmi said the MADANI Government views seriously the increasing trend of issues involving the welfare of media practitioners and wants every employer and company to be responsible for their staff.
As immediate assistance to affected media practitioners, the Communications Ministry has consistently provided some assistance through the Tabung Kasih@HAWANA, managed by the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama).
Apart from the salary issue, the rapidly changing media landscape with artificial intelligence (AI) technology has also affected the media industry, causing many media practitioners to be laid off.
In this regard, Fahmi said the ministry would hold regular engagement sessions with the media to obtain input and long-term solutions to protect the industry.
Meanwhile, several media practitioners expressed their appreciation to Fahmi for his continued concern in defending their plight.
According to them, Fahmi is the first minister to hold such discussions, thus acting as a facilitator and intermediary to help them convey their demands to their respective employers.
It was reported recently that 15 employees of Petra News Sdn Bhd claimed that the company has failed to remit their Employees Provident Fund (EPF), tax deductions, and Social Security Organisation (Socso) contributions for 2024.
In a joint statement, they said a check with the EPF, Inland Revenue Board (IRB) and Socso found that Petra News had failed to submit payments on behalf of employees and employers to the relevant authorities despite salary deductions being made for statutory contributions.
