MIRI, 15 Aug 2018:
The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) will submit a proposal on a new remuneration system for civil servants to the government end of the year, said its president, Datuk Azih Muda.
He said the proposal would provide a clear path for career development for civil servants, including salary based on academic qualification and on improving the welfare of retirees.
“The SSM (Malaysian Remuneration System) has been introduced 16 years ago when (current Prime Minister) Tun Dr Mahathir was the fourth prime minister. A new remuneration system needs to be introduced to provide for a clear path for career development.”
Azih said the SSM – introduced in 2002 – needed to be improved in line with current development, such as the academic qualification for civil servants in PT3 which required only Standard Six qualification.
In another development, Cuepacs urged the federal government to reconsider the proposal by the previous government to close down the nine Teacher Training Institute (IPG) campuses in the country as the function of the institution was still relevant.
Azih said he would bring up the matter to Dr Mahathir to find a solution to it. The IPG still has an important role in the country’s education system, especially to provide training for primary and secondary school teachers, he added.
Separately, employers can opt to pay the salary of their workers on weekly basis, Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Mahfuz Omar said yesterday.
He said the government had set the payment for salary in accordance with Section 19 of the Employment Act 1955 and the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011
“According to the laws of the country, employers can pay the salary of their workers either on hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis, on the condition that the wage period should not exceed one month,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat sitting.
He was responding to an original question from Nor Azrina Surip (PH-Merbok) who wanted to know whether the ministry allowed employers to pay salaries on a weekly basis as implemented in Britain.
On the implementation of a minimum wage of RM1,500 as raised by Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Rahim (BN-Baling) in his supplementary question, Mahfuz, who is also Pokok Sena MP said the ministry was waiting for the Cabinet decision to implement it.
– Bernama