COUNCIL WORKERS IN POVERTY

Recently the Penang State government awarded the cleaners or Pekerja Rendah Awam(PRA) at the Penang local Council with recognition medals and cash rewards from RM 200 to RM 500 per worker. The move has to be applauded has many would take the services of these lowest rung of workers for granted. But medals and cash rewards will make them happy today but not in the long run. They will continue to receive the same miserably low monthly wages.

PSM is shocked to find even City status councils pay very low wages to this Pekerja Rendah Awam. These workers come under the R1 salary scheme set out by Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam. Local councils are self financing organisations, where all the salary of all the staff are paid from collection of assessment, compound and tax collections. At Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam , our survey shows that PRA basic pay is only RM 892 per month. But the take home pay is much less than that. A sample is shown here ;

Pendapatan	RM	Potongan	RM
Gaji Pokok	892.55	KWSP Pekerja	95.00
Imbuhan Tetap Khidmat Awam	95.00	Perkeso	6.75
Imbuhan Tetap Perumahan	180.00	Kospeta( loan frm Cooperative)	423.70
COLA	150.00	Kelab MBSA	2.00
		Anulae(union subs)	4.00
		Sewa Kuarters	180.00
Jumlah gaji	1,317.55	Jumlah potongan	711.45
		Gaji Bersih	606.10

The Pekerja Rendah Awam workers in Majlis Perbandaran Selayang are also paid around RM 650 ++ take home pay. They are currently about 130 Pekerja Rendah Awam in MBSA and about 146 of them in Majlis Perbandaran Selayang .

It is thoroughly a shame for the Federal Government and JPA to maintain these poverty wages among the council workers whom always carry out all the dirty, dangerous and undesirable jobs to make a better living for city folks. The workers whom dig graves at odd hours also fall into these category . The Human Resources Ministry till today has refused to implement minimum wages claiming protest from private enterprises. How then about government workers ?? Why to they have to suffer in poverty ??

These council workers are all staying in cities, towns and have to bear the ever increasing living cost in the cities. PSM urges the Pakatan Rakyat State Government of Selangor to immediately address the wages of the local council workers. Even though the salary scale might be controlled by the JPA, Federal Government, the State government should be able to provide an additional allowance to uplift their salary scale. The State government of Selangor supports a minimum wage for all as stated in the election manifesto .But how can it convince the private sector to do it, if its own council workers are living in poverty?

PSM urges Selangor State to immediately take steps to increase the wages of all Pekerja Rendah Awam (PRA) in all councils in Selangor.

Sivarajan (PSM)

Ahli Majlis MBSA

Ahli J/k Perjawatan & Undang-undang MBSA

Ahli J/k Tabung Majikan Prihatin Pekerja MBSA