KUCHING: The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS) has expressed its gratitude to Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg for introducing a special allowance for Sarawak’s civil servants, complementing the salary adjustments under the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA).
CUEPACS president Datuk Dr Adnan Mat urged other state governments who had not yet announced financial assistance for their civil servants to emulate Sarawak, Sabah and Selangor, which had implemented similar initiatives.
“These states have introduced such assistance to boost the morale of civil servants in delivering the best service to the people and the country,” he said during a press conference held after a courtesy visit to the Malaysian Department of Information (JaPen) Sarawak director Helmy Hamid at JaPen headquarters on Thursday.
Adnan also reaffirmed CUEPACS’ commitment to advocating for salary increases for civil servants, noting that the union remains actively engaged in addressing issues related to the SSPA.
“The purpose of CUEPACS’ visit was to evaluate the implementation of the SSPA and provide comprehensive clarification to civil servants in Sarawak.”
He revealed that 700 civil servants had either not opted into or rejected the SSPA scheme, citing potential misinformation as a contributing factor.
“Perhaps they did not receive accurate information or were misinformed via social media. Therefore, CUEPACS has been working closely with departments and ministries to gather feedback on the implementation and improvements for the second phase.”
Adnan assured that under the SSPA, civil servants would retain all benefits provided by the previous scheme, stressing the union’s guiding principle of “no less favourable.”
“Any decision made by the government must adhere to the principle of ‘no less favourable,’ ensuring no reduction in benefits from what we currently receive.”
Earlier, the CUEPACS delegation was presented with a corporate video showcasing JaPen’s background, roles and contributions to community services.
The delegation also visited various departments and institutions, including Sekolah Seni Malaysia Sarawak, the Sarawak branch of the Aminuddin Baki Institute, the Sarawak State Chemistry Department, SK Semerah Padi and Yayasan Sarawak.
