KUCHING: The Sarawak Public Service Employees’ Union Congress (Cuepacs) has asked the federal government to include an increase in Regional Incentive Payments (BIW) to civil servants in Sarawak and Sabah in the national budget to be presented on October 7.
Its chairman Omar Bahrein Unin said the union earnestly requested this increase as the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for civil servants in the Peninsula has been increased by RM50 since January 2020.
He said there is no unity in the context of dealing with the cost of living of civil servants in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak if BIW is not increased along with the increase in COLA.
He added that Cuepacs Sarawak also supports the national union that the government focuses on implementing the new Public Service Compensation System (SSPA) through the 2023 Budget to strengthen the country’s public service system.
According to Omar, Cuepacs has sent the SSPA proposal to the government for consideration, while Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in his speech to the civil servants on 30 August has informed that the study on the SSPA should be expedited so that it can be implemented in the near future.
“The new SSPA needs to be implemented immediately by taking into account the entire aspect of human capital involving remuneration and services in order to remain relevant to the current needs of civil servants.
“The implementation of this SSPA needs to include aspects of the new minimum wage, in line with the current increase in the cost of living as well as training and development needs to improve the efficiency of the public service,” he said.
According to Omar, currently the private sector has implemented a minimum wage of RM1,500 with effect from May 1 and it should be followed by the public sector to balance the current needs of civil servants.
“With the abolition of Level Three Assessment (PT3) by the government, the qualification to enter the government service is currently a minimum of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and the starting salary limit should be increased,” he said.
Omar said Cuepacs Sarawak is confident that the setting of a new minimum wage for the public sector followed by training and development can improve the efficiency of the public service delivery system to the people.
