YEAR-END BONUS HELP MANY

CUEPACS has expressed disappointment over the absence of any announcement of bonuses for civil servants in the 2010 Budget.
Many had been anticipating a year-end bonus as a follow-up to the RM500 special assistance given to support service staff prior to Hari Raya, said Cuepacs president Omar Osman.
He said civil servants, particularly those in the lower income group, had been facing difficult times and a bonus would have helped ease their burden especially because their children would be preparing to go back to school. “We are happy that a special contribution of RM500 is being extended to officers from Grades 41 to 54 but we feel a bonus is warranted since civil servants overall have shown great improvement in efficiency and performance,” he said.
Cuepacs announced last week that it had passed a resolution to call on the Government to pay the 1.2 million civil servants a two-month bonus this year as well as a similar incentive for 400,000 pensioners.
The Government said yesterday that the RM500 contribution to Grade 41 to Grade 54 civil servants as well as those who are on mandatory retirement will be paid in December. This will cost the Government an additional RM400mil.
To encourage computer ownership, civil servants will now be able to apply for loans of up to RM5,000 from the Government once every three years starting next year instead of once every five years before this.