Tuesday March 15, 2011
By SARBAN SINGH newsdesk@thestar.com.my
SEREMBAN: Department heads can now only hire part-time employees for a maximum of six months.
These workers should be paid a fixed daily rate based on their qualifications and accorded all benefits given to permanent staff.
Public Service Department (PSD) director-general Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Abdullah said degree holders would be paid RM100 a day, those with diplomas and STPM RM72, and RM54 for SPM holders.
The Government, he said, had decided to categorise these employees as “daily workers” instead of temporary or short-term employees.
“These workers must be paid on a daily basis and initially be offered three-month employment. Their tenure can only be extended if there is a pressing need for their service for an addition of up to three months,” he said in a circular.
However, Cuepacs, the umbrella organisation for unions in the public sector, has expressed its unhappiness with the new system, saying that it would not help increase productivity.
Cuepacs president Datuk Omar Osman said these workers should be given a minimum of one year’s contract.
“Hiring a worker for three or six months will not only cause difficulties to the worker but it will also inconvenience permanent workers in the same department.
“The permanent workers will have to start all over again with a new worker, losing many man hours as the new person adjusts to the working conditions,” he said, adding that the salary scheme was also not attractive due to the high cost of living.
Abu Bakar said the PSD decided to introduce the new system as the previous one was not clear on many aspects and there had been duplication of responsibilities.
“Even the payment rates differed and this caused problems,” he said.