Thursday September 20, 2012

Budget wish list presented by Cuepacs

KUALA LUMPUR: Cuepacs has issued a six-point wish list for the Government to consider in the Budget 2013 announcement, its president Datuk Omar Osman said.

“We hope Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will give due consideration to our demands for the sake of the 1.4 million civil servants. We will be satisfied if at least 70% of the demands are met,” he said after chairing the Cuepacs supreme council meeting here yesterday.

The six requests involved the announcement of the new remuneration scheme to replace the New Civil Servants Remuneration Scheme, which was scrapped earlier this year.

They are also seeking affordable urban housing, an increase in rent allowances, additional bonus apart from the recent half-month bonus, the fate of 45,000 contract workers whose contract ends this Dec 31 and the reinstatement of the federal-level Joint Departmental Council, which was abolished in May.

Omar noted that the demands were not new and have been sought since 2010.

“Affordable urban housing for civil servants is the most pressing issue and has reached a critical stage. We had received numerous complaints from members on this matter.

“We hope there will be a new housing policy that requires housing developers in the city to reserve 35% of their projects to build houses costing between RM60,000 and RM150,000,” he said.

He also added that the current monthly housing rental allowances of RM180 should be increased to reflect the present market rates.

On the 45,000 contract staff whose terms expires on Dec 31 this year, Omar said most of them were between 40 and 50 years old and had families to feed and housing loans to pay.

“We hope the Government will consider extending their contracts or place them on the pension or employee provident fund schemes,” he added.

Omar said if the demands are met, Cuepacs will propose to get civil servants to agree to put in an additional 30 minutes of work daily.

Under the proposal, civil servants would come in 15 minutes earlier and leave 15 minutes later.

“If an agreement is reached, the proposal will be forwarded to the Chief Secretary to the Government to ask him to issue a circular to that effect,” he added.

He also said Cuepacs was seeking to meet the Prime Minister and his deputy to discuss the matter.

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