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Its president, Omar Osman, said Cuepacs hoped that Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would agree to its proposed pay revision during the gathering.
<p>“If he does not mention or respond favourably to the appeal we made in
our memorandum submitted on Jan 12, we will immediately hold a special congress
meeting with the 3,000 civil servants present at the gathering. </p>
<p>“But I believe we have not gone to a stage where we will initiate a workers’
strike,” he told reporters at the Cuepacs Workers Day celebration yesterday.
</p>
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<div align="center"><img src="file:///C|/Program%20Files/Macromedia/Dreamweaver%204/Lessons/Lesson%20Files/omar.jpg" width="330" height="253"></div>
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<td><font color="#666666">Making a point: Omar speaking at the Cuepacs Workers
Day celebration in Kuala Lumpur yesterday</font><font color="#000000">.</font></td>
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<p>The decision to hold the special meeting, he said, was agreed at the last congress
meeting. </p>
<p>The body, which represents most of the country’s 1.2 million civil servants,
had earlier set a May 1 deadline for the Government to respond to its salary
appeal. </p>
<p>Omar said Cuepacs would reject salary adjustments for the civil servants, as
it was asking for a salary revision and improvements of service perks. </p>
<p>He said that there were rumours in the Internet that the Government would announce
a 10% salary adjustment for civil servants across-the-board. “I even received
several SMSes on this,” he said. </p>
<p>Cuepacs is asking for a salary revision of between 10% and 40 % for the various
grades of government employees. </p>
<p>Its memorandum also touched on increasing the compulsory retirement age to
60, abolition of the Efficiency Level Assessment (PTK), review of allowances
and pension based on length of service. </p>
<p>“Cuepacs has not been called to discuss in detail the memorandum that
we sent,” Omar said. </p>
<p>He said Cuepacs’ contention was the lack of negotiation between the workers
and Government on their salaries. </p>
<p>Cuepacs, he said, wanted the civil service tribunal, which was abolished after
the introduction of the new remuneration scheme, to be revived so civil servants
can bring up anomalies in salary increases. </p>
<p>“Since the salary review council was abolished 15 years ago, civil servants
have not enjoyed any salary increment. If we get the salary increment we want,
about 400,000 lower income civil servants would not have to do part-time jobs
such as moonlighting as taxi drivers, pump attendants and guest relations officers,”
he said to laughter from the floor. </p>
<p>At the event, Omar and MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud stressed that
both bodies worked hand in hand to protect workers’ interests. </p>
<p>“Some say we are being unreasonable to ask for such salary increases and
asked where the Government will get the money from. Well, every time we are
told that the economy is strong. The country has money,” said Syed Shahrir.
</p>
<p>Omar said this was the first time the MTUC president was present at the Cuepacs
Worker’s Day celebration and gave a speech, which showed that both union
bodies were comrades.</p>
<p><i>Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/5/2/nation/17606407&sec=nation</i>
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com