PDKs Empowered To Determine Allowances, Operate More Flexibly - Nancy

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres (PDKs) nationwide have demonstrated their ability to operate more independently and flexibly, including setting their own allowance rates for supervisors and staff, the Dewan Rakyat was told.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said PDKs are no longer managed directly by the government as they were before 2018, following an audit report that recommended their operations be handed over to registered organisations or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for technical reasons.

As a result, management has been transferred to NGOs registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS), allowing them to determine allowances based on their financial capacity.

“Some PDKs pay more than the government’s monthly subsidy of RM1,200, with certain centres even offering wages above the minimum rate of RM1,700 per month.

“This reflects the centres’ ability to function creatively while safeguarding staff welfare and maintaining service quality for trainees without depending entirely on government assistance,” she said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

She was responding to Muhammad Islahuddin Abas (PN-Mersing), who asked whether the government would review the allowance structure for PDK supervisors and staff to align with the national minimum wage.

Nancy said that although the government is not the direct employer, it remains committed to assisting in the provision of allowances.

“When the minimum wage was raised, allowances for PDK workers were also increased from RM800 previously to between RM1,200 and RM1,700 now. While these are allowances rather than salaries, the government still provides assistance, so this needs to be clearly understood,” she said.

Nancy added that since 2021, the ministry has provided various subsidies to support PDK staff and trainees, including raising supervisors’ allowances from RM1,200 to RM1,500 per month and staff allowances from RM800 to RM1,200.

“Therefore, the government’s financial assistance for staff allowance subsidies at present is sufficient to cover 126 hours at the minimum wage rate,” she said, adding that more than RM140 million has been allocated for PDK programmes this year.

-- BERNAMA