All civil servants will get an Annual Variable Component (AVC) of 0.45 month and a one-off lump sum of $200, announced the Public Service Division on 13 June 2019.
Lower-wage civil servants in Grades 4 and 5 of the Operations Support Scheme (OSS) will receive a higher lump sum of $300.
Those in Grade 5 of the OSS, such as office attendants, will also get a built-in wage increase of up to $50 in addition to their annual increment.
PSD said that the mid-year payments signalled the Government’s continued commitment to support lower-wage civil servants. Around 1,400 civil servants will benefit from the higher lump sum payment.
The Government took into account Singapore’s economic performance, the National Wages Council’s recent recommendations and consulted the public sector unions before making a decision on the mid-year AVC.
Civil servants received a mid-year bonus of 0.5 month in 2018.
The mid-year payments will be made in July 2019. The year-end bonus will depend on how the economy performs in the second half of this year.
“The civil service mid-year AVC of 0.45 month is a reflection of the lower GDP forecast and the economic uncertainties caused by the trade tensions ... I am happy that the PSD also took into consideration the recommendations of the National Wages Council to better help our lower wage workers.
“We must continue to push ahead with innovation and training to raise productivity. We will work closely with PSD and the unions to boost their skills levels and continue to invest in job redesign to enhance the job value,” said NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Cham Hui Fong.
Amalgamated Union of Public Daily Rated Workers (AUPDRW) General Secretary G Muthukumarasamy commented that his union understands the lower pay out this year is in view of Singapore’s slower economic growth and urged his members to be prudent in their spending in view of the uncertain economy ahead.
Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) General Secretary Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari said: “Especially in such disruptive times, our public officers must remain relevant and adapt to the changing dynamics through skills upgrading in areas of digitalisation and the use of new technologies. This will help drive productivity, enable our officers to pursue higher value jobs and eventually help uplift their lives.”
