KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) is an “exemplary GLC” as it has agreed to raise its minimum wage to RM1,700 and give further pay rise to all its staff members next year, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said this makes TNB the first GLC (government-linked company) to take up the government’s call to raise the minimum wage next February as announced in Budget 2025 on Oct 18.
The top management of TNB had agreed to this after a discussion with the government recently, he said in his speech at TNB’s 75th anniversary celebration at its headquarters in Bangsar here yesterday.
The announcement was met with rousing cheers from thousands of TNB employees gathered at the Leo Moggie Convention Centre.
“I thank the top leadership for agreeing to make TNB the first GLC to take up the government’s call to raise its minimum wage and to further raise the pay of all its employees,” said Anwar.
TNB, which turned 75 in September, has 34,000 employees nationwide.
The event was also attended by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and TNB chairman Tan Sri Abdul Razak Abdul Majid, as well as others from its top management.
The Prime Minister said a GLC’s success is not only measured by the profit it makes, but also by how it takes care of the welfare of all its employees.
“After its privatisation (in 1990), I had met with TNB management and stated that it should not be a corporation that is only interested in profit-making, but must also be a fair and just employer to all its employees.
“A company would not succeed only with the wisdom of its management for it would need the commitment of employees from all levels,” he added.
Anwar also called on TNB to be ready to be the major electricity hub of Asean countries when Malaysia takes on Asean chairmanship next year.
“This is a big challenge. Ensure that we become the major hub for energy in the future and ensure that there is the Asean Grid.
“This means that the transmission from traditional sources such as in Pasir Gudang must be upgraded with newer facilities, whether it is energy from Sarawak to Johor or even Laos to Singapore,” he said.
(The Asean Grid is a cross-border deal announced last September which cuts across Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, aimed at strengthening energy security and sustainability across the region.)
Anwar also said it was important to maintain an equilibrium between man and nature to ensure the least (environmental) damage in the quest for profit.
