PUTRAJAYA – The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) has proposed shortening the service period required of contract civil servants to acquire permanent employment from 15 to 10 years.
Its president Datuk Adnan Mat said this is one of the proposals that will be submitted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the near future.
If this proposal is accepted, about 30,000 civil servants under contract status in various ministries will be absorbed into permanent positions.
“Previously, a policy was approved whereby contact staff could be given permanent positions on a one-time basis after serving for 15 years or more.
“However, it is unfortunate that today there are some employees who serve more than 10 years and suddenly their contracts are not renewed, although they can serve another five years to get a permanent appointment,” he told reporters after attending Cuepacs Labour Day celebration here today.
The event was officiated by Public Service Department director-general Datuk Zulkapli Mohamed.
Adnan added that during the previous government, there were contract employees who had served over 10 years and who were proposed for permanent appointment on a one-off basis, but this was not implemented.
He said Cuepacs would also submit a proposal to abolish the cost-of-living allowance (cola) deduction for civil servants living in government quarters.
“Cuepacs hopes that the cost-of-living allowance will not be deducted because it can be used to help in their day-to-day expenses,” he said, adding at present, the housing allowance and half of the cola were deducted.
Meanwhile, Adnan also hoped that the government will consider accommodation sharing across ministries to meet demand, especially in big cities.
“In Putrajaya alone, over 23,000 civil servants are waiting to get government quarters. Similar situations are also happening in big cities such as Kuala Lumpur.
“Therefore, it is appropriate to open up quarters built by a ministry to other civil servants, as there are still vacancies in some units,” he said. – Bernama, May 1, 2023
