A few days ago, 99 Speedmart founder Lee Thiam Wah was announced to have reached billionaire status.
This was followed by chatter about how the company allegedly paid their employees poorly despite working long hours to ensure its success.
TRP has spoken to 99 Speedmart’s COO, Yong Eng Kwang, to suss out the reality on the ground.
Yong shared that they have checked the Indeed listing, a job site where many netizens based the average salary figures. Yong said those figures were based on old data, going back at least five years and did not reflect their current wages.
Currently, their branch managers are paid an average of RM3,300 based on the market value. As for their cashiers, the net pay income is around RM1,649 but the gross pay is more than RM1,800, which is above the national minimum wage of RM1,500.
The employees also enjoy annual salary increments, yearly bonuses, and access to panel clinics. There are growth and training opportunities in the company with managers receiving training with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
99 Speedmart employees also enjoy additional benefits such as a free SIM card with 40GB data and unlimited calls for all staff and free food vouchers.
When asked about their working hours and overtime pay, Yong said they work in shifts. Business hours are from 10am to 10pm and if they’re required to work overtime, it’s done via agreement between both parties.
Yong explained there are three types of overtime pay: Normal Days, Rest Days, and Public Holidays. He explained that the company pays the overtime pay rate according to the company’s rate and what’s outlined in the law.
For Normal Days, they are paid 1.5x their hourly rate. For Rest Days, they’re paid double the amount and on public holidays, they get three times the pay.
What about annual leave entitlements? Yong shared all employees get the entitled annual leaves based on years of service, maternity and paternity leaves, as well as Haj leaves, as underlined by the law, not forgetting the standard EPF and SOCSO benefits as well.
New mothers get the standard 98-day leave while fathers get one to 7 days based on years of employment.
Yong said 99 Speedmart understands the financial pressure faced by everyone so they work tirelessly to keep their prices low and affordable for everyone.
Yong said 99 Speedmart currently has 2,684 outlets nationwide with a total of 22,000 staff.
He reiterated that the company pays its employees wages following the law and is committed to their staff’s wellbeing since the staff members are the company’s backbone.
Yong acknowledged that the employees’ dedication and hard work helped 99 Speedmart get to where they are today.
