MTUC to Hold Pickets at All PERKESO Offices

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress plans to hold pickets at every Social Security Organisation office, escalating its campaign against the implementation of the Self-Employed Employment Social Security Scheme, known as SKBBK.

MTUC says it wants PERKESO to discuss the scheme, including contribution rates for workers and employers. Secretary-General Kamarul Baharin Mansor said the union’s general council had already called for immediate discussions and engagement sessions, but had not received adequate attention.

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MTUC condemns PERKESO’s action in imposing an additional contribution of 0.75 percent of workers’ wages.

The union also said it had sent several letters to the Human Resources Ministry seeking talks about the scheme. Kamarul criticized PERKESO for imposing an additional contribution of 0.75% of workers’ wages. For someone earning the RM1,700 minimum wage, he said, the increase would amount to RM12.75.

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This means that workers receiving the RM1,700 minimum wage must pay an additional RM12.75.

MTUC is asking PERKESO to delay collecting the additional contribution until discussions with workers’ organizations take place. Kamarul also criticized the Aug. 31, 2026 deadline for choosing SKBBK, arguing that social security should not be handled in that way.

He said the government’s earlier decision to make the scheme mandatory, followed by a reversal that made it voluntary, suggested problems with its implementation. The planned pickets are intended to press PERKESO to engage with the union over the disputed arrangements.

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Setting a deadline for the SKBBK option ending on Aug. 31, 2026, should not happen because this scheme concerns workers’ social security.