SIBU: The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS) wants the government to set a new minimum wage of RM1,800 from the present RM1,200 for the public sector.
Its president Datuk Adnan Mat said the congress unanimously proposed that the new minimum wage be implemented this year.
“We are proposing RM1,800 as the minimum wage. Why not RM2,000 or RM3,000?
“We believe the government can afford to give (RM1,800) and along with the regional cost of living allowance (COLA) and housing allowance. We suppose that the gross income is about RM2,450 a month,” he told reporters after attending the Sarawak Contingent Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Public Officers Assembly at Dewan Suarah Sibu yesterday.
Adnan said as the government aimed to achieve a high-income nation by 2025, the remuneration of civil servants had to be gradually reviewed.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had informed the Cabinet and Parliament on Nov 27, last year that under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) the government aimed to achieve a high-income country status by 2025.
In this regard, he noted that the government also set the household income target at RM10,000.
“So, with four persons earning RM2,500 in each household, it will provide an income of RM10,000,” he said.
Adnan also hoped the government would maintain the 10-year review of the remuneration system.
“The last time the system was reviewed was in 2002. Now we are in 2022, so this year it merits a review,” he said.
He said although his party understood that the economy was not in good shape and was still struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the new remuneration system would allow civil servants to receive comfortable services for a salary corresponding with the cost of living.
“We want a new, better, more competitive remuneration system and a suitable income for civil servants,” he said.
There are 1.6 million civil servants in the country of which 1.2 million are members of CUEPACS.
The ceremony was officiated by the chief of Police Management at the Sarawak Contingent Police headquarters SAC Gilberd Philip Layang.
