5-day week? A decade too late?

Anyone who lives in Kelantan and those who used to experience the 5-day week work, would definitely afford a wry smile reading New Straits Times - 5-day week, Cost of Living Allowance scheme reinstated.

Is this the case of PAS-led administrators being way ahead of the ruling Barisan National government of Malaysia?

'Tepuk dada, tanya selera!'

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DOUBLE CHEER
for civil servants
5-day week,
Cost of Living Allowance
scheme reinstated

By M.K. Megan and Audrey Dermawan

Malaysia’s one million civil servants will get what they have been wanting for years: a five-day week. The decision came as a surprise because the Government has consistently resisted any push to reduce the work week from 5½ days to five, arguing that the country could not afford any relaxation in the work culture.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said: "In principle, we will introduce a five-working-day week for civil servants. It will bolster family ties and promote domestic tourism."

He did not set a timetable for implementation but said the mechanics of the system would take some time to be worked out.

Abdullah also gave public-sector employees another reason to smile by announcing the re-introduction of the Cost of Living Allowance (Cola) scheme, discontinued in 1970.

Addressing some 500 civil servants at the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan) today, Abdullah said with the five-day week, civil servants would have to work longer from Monday to Friday to meet the statutory requirement of a 38-hour working week.

At present, civil servants get the first and third Saturdays of the month off and work half-day on the other Saturdays.

"The two off-days will also spur domestic tourism, which will in turn trigger more economic activity," Abdullah said, but added that adjustments would have to be made to ensure counters dealing with the public were manned and cleaning and maintenance work carried out.

"We cannot close down services such as Customs and Immigration.

"We also have to ensure that the extra holidays would not have a negative effect on the country’s economy or productivity."

On the Cola, Abdullah said it was being re-introduced to help civil servants living in urban areas.

"House rental is high in urban areas and cost of other things are also high. We hope to re-introduce the Cola to ease their burden a little," he said to robust applause from his audience.

He said he had seen Customs officers living in squatter areas keeping their uniforms in their bags to change into upon arriving at the office.

"They were ashamed to reveal that as Customs officers, they were living in squatter areas."

Later in Penang, Abdullah said all civil servants would receive Cola but the amount would depend on their place of work.

"Two employees may hold the same position and enjoy the same pay, but the one living in the urban area will not get to enjoy his or her income due to the high cost of living compared to the one working in the rural area," he said after opening of the Penang Bumiputera Entrepreneur Expo 2005.

Meanwhile, Nordin Abdul Hamid, president of the civil servants’ umbrella union Cuepacs, said he was "thrilled" that the Government had agreed to implement the five-day work week and reinstate the Cola.

"I expected one of the requests to be fulfilled, but getting two is a bonus," he said.

Earlier in his speech, Nordin also asked the Government to consider a 10 per cent salary increase, abolishing the aptitude assessment test and for salaries to be paid every two weeks.

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© Copyright 2004 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.

The Star Online > Nation

Tuesday May 31, 2005

Boost for civil servants as PM agrees to two proposals

BY IZATUN SHARI

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government has agreed in principle to a five-day week and a Cost of Living Allowance (Cola) for the country's one million civil servants.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who made the announcement yesterday, said a five-day week would benefit civil servants as they could spend more time with their families.

He said the Government had also agreed to re-introduce Cola to help ease the burden on civil servants in areas where rentals and cost of food and other basic needs were higher.

This will narrow the disparity in benefits received by civil servants in urban and rural areas.

“In principle, I have agreed on a five-day week work for civil servants and the Cola system,” he said during the civil service Workers' Day celebrations at Intan yesterday.

MEET THE BOSS: Abdullah greeting some civil servants at the Labour Day celebrations in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Abdullah was responding to the proposal from the umbrella union body for civil servants, Cuepacs, which had been calling for the five-day week the past three decades, and the proposal to re-introduce the Cola scheme, which was raised last year.

Cuepacs lauded the Government's decision, and hoped the two matters would be implemented soon.

Abdullah said the five-day week would not mean that working hours would be shortened, as extra time would be added to the weekdays.

Currently, civil servants, except those in Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah, work from 8.15am to 4.45pm on Mondays to Fridays and from 8.15am to 1.15pm on the first and third Saturdays of the month.

In those three states, they work a full day from Saturdays to Wednesdays and a half day on Thursdays.

Abdullah said that in implementing the five-day week, several aspects needed to be taken into consideration, including ensuring that certain counters involving services would still be open to the public.

“For instance, there are counters involving immigration and licensing matters or maintenance services that operate seven days a week.

“The practice must continue. We don't want to affect the level of efficiency and productivity.”

He said the Government needed to ensure that the private sector's needs are met and that the country's economy is not affected.

Explaining the rationale to revive the Cola scheme, which was introduced many decades ago and terminated in 1974, he said it was embarrassing that some civil servants, particularly in urban areas, could not afford to pay high rentals and had to stay in squatter areas.

He said the Government would increase the number of government quarters in areas where rentals were high and lacked houses for civil servants to rent.

Later, when opening the Penang Bumiputra Entrepreneurs Exposition 2005 in Seberang Jaya, Abdullah said the five-day week proposal would not affect the services provided by the police, hospital staff and firemen.

“It is up to the respective department heads to change the shift duties of their staff to accommodate the proposal,” he said.

On states that observed Thursdays and Fridays as their days off, he said this would be looked into when implementing the proposal.

”It may take a while before this regulation can be implemented. The Public Services Department (PSD) will form a committee to look into the details of this proposal before it can be carried out,” he said

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said that civil servants might have to start work earlier and finish later when the five-day work week was implemented.

The daily working hours might be increased by half an hour from the present eight hours on weekdays to maintain the same amount of working time per week, he told reporters after attending the Workers Day gathering at Intan.

On Cola, Samsudin said the PSD would study its implementation together with the Treasury.

“Generally, people living in towns have to pay higher prices than those in rural areas. We need to study the quantum and the places where the cost of living is higher,” he said.

“We will work out the details (of the two schemes) as soon as possible,” he added.

Related Story:
Reaction to proposed five-day week and Cola

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