KUALA LUMPUR: Civil servants' salaries should ideally be raised by at least 35 per cent, taking into account the prolonged absence of salary increases and the escalating cost of living, said the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs).
Its secretary-general, Abdul Rahman Mohd Nordin, said this in welcoming the government's decision to review the public service salary scheme, as the last review was done years ago.
He stressed that current wages, especially at the lower levels of the civil service, were inadequate to cope with the increased cost of living.
"As such, we believe the increase should be at least 35 per cent. Cuepacs has been proposing this increase for years.
"We hope that it can be realised this time," he said today.
Rahman added that although civil servants got various allowances, the amounts were insufficient, particularly for those residing in urban areas.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government had agreed to review the salary scheme of civil servants, with initial discussions set for the cabinet meeting next week.
Anwar had said the decision to review the salary scheme was due to the prolonged absence of salary increases, along with the current low salary structure.
However, he did not provide a specific timeline or percentage for a potential salary increase.
Rahman also reiterated Cuepacs' call for an increase in the civil servants' minimum salary from RM1,200 to RM1,800.
"The current salary is still inadequate, considering the increasing prices of goods and personal and family expenses," he added, noting that the proposal to increase the minimum salary was put forward a few years ago.
In May, during the 2023 Labour Day celebration in Putrajaya, Anwar also emphasised the need to evaluate and review the salaries of civil servants, particularly those in lower grades.