Bernama
13/3/2012KUALA LUMPUR, 13 Mac (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata kerajaan telah mengadakan perbincangan dengan Cuepacs dalam merangka Sistem Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam (SBPA).
Perdana Menteri memberitahu persidangan Dewan Rakyat pada Selasa bahawa kerajaan telah mengadakan forum perbincangan bersama Cuepacs dan wakil persatuan itu melalui tiga Majlis Bersama Kebangsaan (MBK) yang bersidang sekurang-kurangnya tiga kali setahun.
"Mesyuarat tidak berkala lain juga diadakan antara pegawai tertinggi kerajaan dengan ahli Majlis Tertinggi Cuepacs. Kerajaan juga menerima memorandum daripada Cuepacs dengan tuntutan tertentu yang telah dikaji dan diambil kira dalam penggubalan SBPA.
"Sepanjang 2011, sebanyak 13 mesyuarat utama bersama Cuepacs diadakan merangkumi mesyuarat dengan MBK, taklimat pada Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Cuepacs dan siri perjumpaan bersama Cuepacs yang membawa kepada termeterainya memorandum persefahaman mengenai pelaksanaan SBPA antara Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam dan Cuepacs yang ditandatangani pada 28 Dis 2011," katanya pada sesi soal jawab.
Beliau menjawab soalan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PKR-Permatang Pauh) yang ingin tahu mengapa kerajaan tidak memanggil Cuepacs untuk berbincang mengenai pelaksanaan SBPA dan pendirian kerajaan terhadap tuntutan-tuntutan Cuepacs.
Sesi soal jawab kemudian bertukar kecoh apabila Datuk Mahfuz Omar (Pas-Pokok Sena) mengemukakan soalan tambahan mengenai status 36 pegawai dalam Kumpulan Primier yang telah menerima ganjaran gaji dan pencen mengikut SBPA sejak 1 Jan lepas.
Menjawab soalan itu, Perdana Menteri berkata: "Nampaknya ahli yang berhormat berkenaan nak jadi juara kepada 36 orang ini. Kerajaan kita nak jadi juara kepada 1.4 juta penjawat awam."
Jawapan itu menyebabkan Mahfuz dan beberapa anggota pembangkang lain termasuk Ahmad Kasim (PKR-Kuala Kedah) dan Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (Pas-Kuala Selangor) tidak berpuas hati.
Perang mulut dihentikan apabila Yang Dipertua Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia masuk campur dan menegaskan mana-mana menteri boleh memilih untuk menjawab atau tidak menjawab soalan yang dikemukakan.
Jumaat lepas, sumber JPA memberitahu Bernama jabatan itu dijadual bermesyuarat minggu ini untuk mencari mekanisme yang bersesuaian bagi menyelesaikan isu penjawat awam dan pesara yang sudah memperoleh bayaran gaji dan pencen mengikut SBPA.
Pada 8 Mac, Najib mengumumkan pembatalan SBPA dan mengembalikan Sistem Saraan Malaysia (SSM) yang ditambah baik yang menyaksikan penjawat awam menikmati kenaikan gaji antara tujuh dan 13 peratus berkuatkuasa 1 Jan tahun ini.
The PM told Parliament that his administration was forced to review the SBPA after it raised the ire of the civil service for only benefiting top government servants. — file pic
KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — The controversial Public Service Remuneration Scheme (SBPA) was scrapped because it failed to meet the government’s commitment of a seven to 13 per cent raise across the entire civil service, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.
The Najib administration was forced to ditch the scheme last week after it raised the ire of the 1.4 million-strong civil service for only benefiting top government servants while the majority of the civil service was left with paltry salary hikes.
The prime minister told Parliament today this reason made him order a review of the SBPA just two weeks after it was introduced on January 1.
“In my Budget speech last October, I gave the government’s commitment based on the principle of a seven to 13 per cent salary hike and a raise in annual income of between RM80 and RM320.
“But when it was translated into action, it ran off from the decision that was made. That is why we took the decision to cancel SBPA and return to the commitment that I have made,” he said in response to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Najib said on March 8 the existing Malaysian Remuneration System (SSM) would be kept with improvements while the salaries of the Chief Secretary to the Government and top-tier civil servants in the “Premier Service I” (Turus I) category would only be adjusted by seven per cent.
Civil servants in the management and professional groups and Grades 1 to 54, in turn, would see their salaries hiked by 13 per cent across the board, he said.
It was revealed recently that under the SBPA, the Chief Secretary would draw a salary of RM60,000 while those in the “Premier Service” category were to rake in RM36,000, a vast difference from those in the lower pay grades, some of whom were only given increments as low as RM1.70.
The revelation following the obvious disparity between the salaries of top civil servants and those in the lower grades had ignited anger and disapproval in the 1.4 million-strong civil service — a key vote bank for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition — ahead of a general election that must be called by May 2013.
Although the scheme was scrapped on March 8, it raised questions about the internal processes within those in charge of the pay review and the Cabinet’s competency to digest beyond the headline figures presented to it when the entire wage scheme was being structured.
Najib also defended today the initial introduction of the SBPA, saying at least 13 meetings were held with the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) across 2011.
The BN chief said this led to a Memorandum of Understanding on the introduction of the new scheme being signed by the civil service union and the government on December 28 last year.
