By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, Sept 27 — The Federal government currently has no plans to raise the minimum retirement age for the civil service to 65 years, said Public Services Department (JPA) Public Services (Operations) deputy director-general Datuk Anesee Ibrahim.
During a public service engagement session yesterday, he said the federal administration had not brought up the issue and that the majority of the civil service does not agree with the idea.
“Do any of you want to work until 65 years old?’’ he asked, which drew laughter from the crowd of more than 1,000 civil servants who attended the session at the Selangor State Secretariat Building, here, yesterday.
“Most civil servants are not in favour of the idea, and the government has not yet made any decision on it.”
Anesee was part of JPA’s engagement session with Selangor state civil servants for the review of the Public Service Remuneration Scheme.
The event is in line with the federal administration’s plan, unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim earlier this year, to update the civil service remuneration structure, especially in view of the current socioeconomic challenges and the government’s fiscal stability.
The questions posed by the civil servants during the session include clarifications on welfare, employment, emoluments and structural issues within the service.
The civil servants also provided suggestions, including on structural changes within the organisation to ensure their welfare is taken into consideration.
One of the main issues raised was on how often local authorities employed contract workers rather than permanent employees.
The civil servants also highlighted that contract employees do not have proper remuneration packages, or health benefits, despite working on the front lines, which is a cause for concern.
