23 April 2007

Civil servants to receive RM180 child care subsidy

Source : NST

PUTRAJAYA: More than 200,000 civil servants with a household income of less than RM2,000 are entitled to child care subsidy from this month.

Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Ismail Adam said they will receive RM180 for each child placed with nurseries at government offices.

Ismail said household income refers to the combined salaries of the civil servant and his or her spouse, including allowances.

Government employees hired on a contractual or temporary basis are also entitled to receive the subsidy.

"They are entitled to the subsidy until the child attains the age of four," said Ismail.
For example, he said, if a child was born on Aug 20, 2003, his parents would be paid the subsidy until Dec 31, 2007.

He said the subsidy, which is intended to help civil servants in the lower income category, also applies to legally-adopted children.

He said those who want to get the subsidy, must apply for it at their respective human resource departments.

"To be considered, they must submit their applications before Dec 31 every year."

They are also required to submit certified copies of their salary slip as well as that of their spouse.

"If the spouse is not working with the government or is a housewife, then they should have their status or documents verified by a senior civil servant, the penghulu or the village development and security committee chairman."

They should also provide copies of their children’s birth certificates.

Ismail said civil servants will be allowed to send their children to nurseries at other government agencies.

He said these nurseries must be registered with the Welfare Department and run by the government agency’s human resources division.

The nursery should also comply with provisions under the Child Care Centre Act 1984.

According to Cuepacs’ estimates, more than 200,000 civil servants will benefit from the subsidy.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said the government should direct all agencies to set up nurseries at their offices to allow more workers to benefit from the subsidy.

To date, only 93 nurseries have been set up at government offices nationwide.

Earlier this year, Women Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil said grants of up to RM80,000 would be given to departments wishing to set up nurseries.

Cuepacs ticks off EPF for proposal

Source : NST


KUALA LUMPUR: Cuepacs, the umbrella union for government employees, yesterday took to task the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for proposing to reduce the contributions of workers above 55 years old.


Cuepacs president Omar Osman said the EPF must clarify its action in seeking to amend the contribution rate as outlined in the EPF Bill (Amendment) 2007.

Once passed, the contribution rate for workers over 55 will be reduced to 5.7 per cent for employees and 6.2 per cent (of the workers monthly salaries) for employers. Presently it is at 11 per cent and 12 per cent respectively.

Omar said: "Cuepacs wants to know what the justification is for this step."

He said Cuepacs would seek a meeting with the EPF on the issue.


On another matter, he reminded government employees with more than one wife to register them with their employers to ensure that their spouses received pension benefits in the event of their deaths.

"Cuepacs has received many complaints from wives that their husbands did not notify their employers of their marriages, causing them to face untold hardship when they (husbands) died."



On the salary review Cuepacs is seeking for the 1.2 million civil servants in the country, Omar said that the Public Service Department had yet to call Cuepacs for discussions.

"We read that as a good sign and that what we are asking for will be considered favourably," he said.

Cuepacs is asking for a salary revision of between 10 and 40 per cent for the various grades of government employees, justifying that the last pay hike they got was in 1991. — Bernama