Omar Bahrein Unin
KUCHING (Sept 24): The Congress of Union of Employees in the Public and Civil Services Malaysia (Cuepacs) Sarawak has requested for the Cost of Living Allowance (Cola) for civil servants in the State to be increased by RM50.
Its president Omar Bahrein Unin said Cuepacs Sarawak also requested the Federal government to consider any form of allowance suitable for civil servants in Sarawak and Sabah to address the rising cost of living in Borneo.
“Although the civil servants in Sarawak are getting a regional allowance based on the basic salary, they have not been able to enjoy the extra Cola of RM50 per month that the civil servants in the peninsula had been receiving since January 2020,” he said in a statement today.
Omar said Cuepacs Sarawak is also asking for a review of the six levels percentage adjustment for civil servants’ regional allowances in Sarawak and Sabah, which has not been done since its implementation in 1988.
He said the six levels are still used for allowance adjustment when there is a change or salary increase in the new public service remuneration system.
“Cuepacs Sarawak is also asking the government to consider giving financial assistance to civil servants wearing spectacles given the cost of making glasses increases every year, which is also a burden to employees.
“This is not just for the well-being to the civil servants but also to help increase their productivity of service delivery to the community in their daily work,” he said.
Omar said Cuepacs Sarawak also hoped that some of the government’s previous announcements could be implemented next year.
These include one level annual salary increment for all civil servants; creation of Grade DG56 for teachers; ‘time based’ promotion to be shortened from 13 years to 10 years; and 1 per cent pension increment for retirees from 2 per cent to 3 per cent annually.