Malaysia PM urges fair pay for journalists amid low wages

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 1 hour ago |  IFJ Media Release

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for fair journalist wages, acknowledging low pay and pushing for government-led solutions to improve compensation and media industry sustainability.

Summary

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, called on the country’s media companies to provide fair pay and just financial compensation for journalists’ professional work during a meeting with Sabah media workers on November 16. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJM), welcomed the positive message of action toward addressing the serious and endemic issue impacting the country’s media and its future sustainability.

Fair Pay for Journalists Highlighted by Prime Minister

During a breakfast meeting with the Sabah media, the prime minister addressed the issue of inadequate wages for journalists in Malaysia’s media industry. Acknowledging that the industry’s low wages were disproportionate to the overwhelming responsibilities and pressure media workers faced, Ibrahim said the issue was particularly important in an era of journalism where technological advancements demanded cross-media presence.

Government Steps Toward Wage Reforms

During the meeting, the Prime Minister also said he had requested Malaysia’s communications minister, Fahmi Fadzil, to prepare a formal report on media worker wages to find solutions that the government could use to improve the welfare of journalists, including incentivising media companies to increase journalist wages if minimum wages were not implemented.

Challenges and Union Efforts in the Media Industry

Sabah’s independent governance, separate from that of the Malay Peninsula, provides its officials more control in shifting policies. The NUJM highlighted in a statement that, although the government cannot directly interfere in the internal affairs of media companies, the conversation with media workers brought hope for government-led law reforms to influence media outlets to increase wages. The NUJM is the only national media union in the country negotiating outlet-based collective agreements on wages and working conditions for journalists and media workers.

The IFJ and NUJM have worked closely to monitor and lobby on the challenged working conditions for Malaysian journalists, including the recent case of non-payment of salaries by media company Petra Group in 2024. The NUJM surveyed challenges for media workers the same year, documented by IFJ and NUJM in the joint Malaysia media report, Voices Under Watch. NUJM found 63 per cent of journalists surveyed received low pay despite a reported 70 per cent regularly working overtime.

NUJM said: “The NUJM welcomes the attention given to the issue of journalists' income and remuneration, especially when many journalists still receive low pay that is disproportionate to the responsibilities and work pressures they face.”

The IFJ said: “We call on the Ibrahim government to continue this important conversation with Malaysia’s media workers and underline that the strengthening of trade union rights for media workers must be part of the solution. Decent work for Malaysia’s media workers also means dignity at work and the right of journalists to collectively bargain with media outlets for better wage outcomes.”

KEY POINTS:

• Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged media companies to provide fair wages for journalists
• Acknowledged low pay and high responsibilities of Malaysian media workers
• Requested the communications minister to report on media worker wages for solutions
• NUJM highlights potential government influence on wage reforms despite independent media governance
• IFJ and NUJM stress the importance of trade union rights and collective bargaining
• Reports show 63 per cent of journalists receive low pay and 70 per cent work overtime