PUTRAJAYA (March 11): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today announced a host of attractive packages – worth a total of RM2 billion - to enhance the civil service, including a pay rise for government servants across the board in July.
The initiatives include streamlining the salary tier for the Armed Forces and policemen in line with that of the general civil service, improvement of selected schemes, fast- track promotions, pay increment for those with ceiling wages, promotions and extensions of the 50,000 civil servants working on contract basis.
The streamlining of Armed Forces and policemen salaries will see some 123,983 and 109,209 personnel benefit respectively.
The salaries of the security personnel, whom Najib again paid tribute to in light of the Lahad Datu crisis, will be backdated to Jan 1, 2013.
The government will also review 81 service schemes, including the technician service scheme and talent schemes that had been improved on but yet to be implemented, by year-end.
With the increase in salary of between RM80 and RM320 that is bound to please the nation's civil servants, who will also receive two increments this year, Najib also appealed to the sector's 1.4 million-strong force, to "choose wisely" in the coming general election.
Speaking to a crowd of 7,000 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre, Najib took a swipe at the opposition and its policies, saying that the people must be wary of those who promised the "moon, stars and the universe".
"The Barisan Nasional could make populist promises, making them more popular and everyone will be happy, albeit for a while," he said in his opening address of the 13th National Gathering of Civil Servants.
"This measure will involve an expenditure of RM1.5 billion," he said, adding that effective Jan 1 this year, three additional annual increments would be provided after the maximum salary on the salary schedules.
Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Dr Ali Hamsa and Cuepacs president Datuk Omar Osman.
Later at a press conference however, Ali denied that the packages offered had anything to do with the 13th general election.
"Don't misinterpret, it is a norm to review policies, including salaries in the civil service," he said.