Civil Servant Salary Increase: Cuepacs Hopes MAF Veterans Will Not Be Forgotten

By Ahmad Erwan Othman

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) hopes that pensionable and non-pensionable Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) veterans will not be forgotten during the 19th Civil Service Premier Assembly (MAPPA) tomorrow.

Its president, Datuk Dr Adnan Mat, said that the salary increase for civil servants was a positive step, but it was equally important for the government to address the pension gap faced by these veterans.

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"Many of them struggle to sustain their livelihoods due to the gap between their pension amounts and the rising cost of living.

"We hope that they will also receive the appropriate special consideration, recognising their contributions and service to the country," he told Bernama when contacted today.

He was asked about Cuepacs' expectations regarding the special announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the salary increase for 1.5 million civil servants during the 19th MAPPA at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Adnan hoped that a detailed explanation would be presented regarding the groups to receive the salary increase and the percentage of the increase during MAPPA.

According to him, this detailed clarification is crucial to ensure that civil servants can calculate their new salary rates, adding that low-grade civil servants should earn at least RM2,000 or more, enabling them to cope with the current high cost of living.

"However, integrity, efficiency, high commitment, and improved performance must align with the salary increase that civil servants will receive. Also, new debts should not be created following the salary increase announcement," he said.

Earlier, the government assured that the pensions of over 931,000 retirees would be adjusted in line with the salary review of public officers under the new Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA).

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Zaliha Mustafa recently (July 4) stated in a written response in Parliament that, in principle, the pensions received by retirees and pension recipients would be adjusted according to the provisions of Section 3 of the Pension Adjustment Act 1980 (Act 238).

In his speech during the Labour Day celebration on May 1, the Prime Minister announced that the civil servants' salary scheme would increase by more than 13 per cent, one of the highest in Malaysia's history, with the increase set to take effect on Dec 1 this year.

According to Anwar, the full details, as promised by the government, will be announced through Budget 2025 this October.

Last week, the Unity Government’s spokesman and Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil, said that civil servants in the implementation group were expected to enjoy salary increases of up to 42.7 per cent through the new SSPA.

-- BERNAMA