Cuepacs steps up fight against new scheme

Stephanie Sta Maria | January 31, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Cuepacs has set up an action committee as its latest step in its fight against the Public Service New Remuneration Scheme (SBPA).

A 15-member team, led by Cuepacs deputy president, Azih Muda, will present a paper on its recommendations to Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak, by early March.

These recommendations were compiled during a two-day workshop on SBPA which was attended by all Cuepacs officials.

Cuepacs president, Omar Osman, told the media this afternoon that the paper would be based on the five items that Cuepacs has already submitted for review by the SBPA task force.

“The prime minister introduced the SBPA in the hope that it would be better than the Malaysian Remuneration Scheme (SSM) but instead it is the worst scheme we have ever seen,” he said.

“And this is because the Public Services Department (PSD) never consulted us in drafting the scheme and then kept the details a secret from us.”

Among the recommendations is a review of the Civil Service Premier Post (JUSA) level. Omar stated that of the current 36 posts, only seven are qualified for a Premier classification.

He listed the seven as the Chief Secretary to the Government, Secretary-General of Treasury, Director-General of Public Services, Treasury Auditor-General, Attorney-General, Chief Justice and Accountant-General of Malaysia.

Omar also slammed the mismatch of job titles and functions under the SBPA. Under the scheme, “drivers” will now be known as “operations manager”, “hostel supervisor” as “administrative supervisor” and “nursing trainer” as “health trainer”.

“There is a complete imbalance here,” he pointed out. “The reasoning behind the title change it to supposedly add prestige to the job but there are better ways of doing this.”

Lopsided salary adjustments

Omar confirmed earlier claims by PAS vice president, Mahfuz Omar, that those in the Premier group had already been given offer letters and that some of them are already receiving the new salary under the SBPA.

“Who authorised this?” he demanded. “I also have text messages from pensioners who have received as much as RM9,800 in pensions under the SBPA.”

“These are the surprises that we are being subjected to because of the SBPA’s lack of transparency.”

Omar also maintained his earlier threat to pull out from the SBPA task force if no additional Cuepacs representatives are included on the panel.

He has asked for Azih Muda, secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng and financial secretary Jaafar Mansor to also sit on the task force as he alone cannot represent 1.3 million members.

The head of the SBPA task force, Ismail Adam, yesterday said that he had no objections to the three coming on board but that the power to make appointments rested with the Chief Secretary to the Government, Sidek Hassan.

“We have no heard anything on this matter yet but if the three are not invited to the second task force meeting on Feb 8 then I will officially resign on that day,” Omar said.

The SBPA was meant to be implemented on Jan 1 but has been delayed due to strong objections over the lopsided salary adjustment between senior government officials above Grade 54 and those below.

Cuepacs is conducting a roadshow until April on the SBPA and civil servants have until Feb 15 to submit their protests on the scheme.