IPOH, Jan 18 — The smooth and effective implementation of the RM1,200 minimum wage in major cities under 57 city councils and municipal councils will only be known by the end of February, said Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran.

He said this was because the new minimum wage will only take effect from February 1.

"We can only know the extent of the compliance after the payday which is on February 28 or March 1,” he told reporters when met at an education aid programme at the state Youth and Sports Department multipurpose hall here today.

The RM1,200 minimum wage is to assist employees in major cities to manage the high cost of living, while the minimum wage remains at RM1,100 a month for the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, during the education aid programme, a total 941 students from 452 families in Perak received cash assistance totalling RM270,000.

Kulasegaran said the assistance was part of the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) and the ministry’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, to help lessen the burden of low-income families and to encourage them to save with the National Education Savings Scheme (SSPN).

"This time around we don’t give all the cash to the recipients as some of it will be credited to their SSPN accounts to encourage savings,” he said. — Bernama