By Ramesh Subbaraman
The Labour Movement’s call for a special SG50 Bonus for Singapore’s workers has been accepted by the government with the announcement by the Public Service Division (PSD) that there will be a one-off payment of $500 for civil servants.
The PSD also announced that civil servants will receive a mid-year Annual Variable Component (AVC) of 0.5 month while Division 4 Officers will receive an additional built-in wage increase of $30.
Helping Low-Wage Workers
NTUC welcomed the PSD’s announcement on the mid-year payout and added that it was heartened that the Labour Movement’s call for a special SG50 Bonus was accepted.
“The focus placed on the Division 4 employees with an additional built-in wage increase also showed an alignment in commitment to help our lower wage officers,” said NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Cham Hui Fong, who leads NTUC’s team in the National Wages Council discussions.
PSD said around 2,500 Division IV civil servants will benefit from the wage increase.
Close Consultations
ASG Cham added that the payouts were a result of several rounds of close consultations and negotiations between representatives from the public sector unions and the PSD.
The discussions took into account Singapore’s economic performance and the National Wages Guidelines for 2015/16.
“The Labour Movement and affiliated unions will continue to work closely with our tripartite partners to ensure that workers are recognised for their dedication and hard work,” added ASG Cham.
Unionists welcome announcement
Two unions at the forefront of looking after the needs of the public sector workers welcomed the announcements by the PSD.
Mr Yeo Chun Fing, General Secretary of Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) said that AUPE was pleased that the PSD continues to recognise the good work and dedication of public employees’ with a fair mid-year payment.
“We are also grateful to PSD for agreeing to the unions’ request to grant the special SG50 payment in appreciation and recognition of our public servants’ consistent delivery of quality public services to the people of Singapore,” he added.
Also sharing his sentiments was Mr G Muthukumarasamy, General Secretary of Amalgamated Union of Public Daily Rated Workers (AUPDRW).
He said: “The union is happy that our daily rated workers are being appreciated for their contribution to Singapore with the special SG50 bonus.
“The bonus and built-in wages will help our lower-wage workers and their families alleviate their daily expenses and help them cope with rising cost of living".
Source: NTUC This Week
