Home Minister calls for review of RM8 hourly pay for Rela volunteers

During a press conference following the Home Ministry’s monthly assembly in Putrajaya, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail warned that one outlet RM8 hourly allowance for members of the Malaysian Volunteer Corps (Rela) does not meet the statutory minimum wage. He illustrated that an eight-hour workday over 24 days would result in earnings below the RM1,700 minimum wage floor, while a 12-hour schedule would only slightly surpass it.

Saifuddin called for a review of the allowance to bring it in line with legal wage standards. No specific new rate was proposed, but the minister emphasized the need for a more reasonable compensation structure for volunteers.