FIX GRADING SYSTEM BEFORE TRIMMIING CIVIL SERVICE, CUEPACS TELLS PUTRAJAYA

Malay Mail
21/5/2015

Fix grading system before trimming civil service, Cuepacs tells Putrajaya

BY SYED JAYMAL ZAHIID

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Fix grading system before trimming civil service, Cuepacs tells Putrajaya

BY SYED JAYMAL ZAHIID

- See more at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/fix-grading-system-before-trimming-civil-service-cuepacs-tells-putrajaya#sthash.JRokimUs.dpuf

KUALA
LUMPUR, May 21 — The federal government must reform its performance
grading system or it could lead to the “unjust” sacking of hardworking
civil servants, the civil service union said today amid plans to trim a
bloated civil service sector under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP).Congress of Unions of Employees in Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs)
President Datuk Azih Muda acknowledged that a “rationalisation”
programme could be good, but stressed that it could end up victimising
staff who are allegedly exposed to arbitrary grading by superiors under
the current system.

“Cuepacs have received so many complaints that the grading system is flawed.“There are so many cases where bias and favouritism influence the grading,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted. “One such example is this hospital. We received a complaint that just
because he did not want to do what he was told because it was wrong, he
got bad marks for 10 years straight and was denied a promotion,” he
added.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that
public sector institutions would be rationalised under the 11MP for
greater productivity and performance in line with changes in the
structure of the economy and national demographics.The five-year plan ending 2020 proposes an exit policy for
under-performing public servants, aimed at achieving a high-performing
and dynamic public sector that will support the national agenda.

This means civil servants who do not meet stipulated performance
criteria will undergo improvement programmes within a specific time to
improve their performance, failing which their service will be
terminated.

Azih today said while Cuepacs believes the proposed programme could be
good for efficiency, it should be formulated with the input of all
stakeholders to ensure fairness.“They should consult us first… consult all stakeholders first so that
any exit programme can be scrutinised in detail so as to ensure fairness
and transparency.“It may be good for performance, but it has to be fair,” Azih said.

Malaysia’s civil service is among the biggest in the world, numbering
at around 1.4 million staff, according to figures from the Performance
Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu).

The operational costs of the federal government alone often chalk up
more than 75 per cent of its annual budget and the numbers have steadily
increased every year. Malaysia has run on a budget deficit since 1998.

The ballooning debt alongside constant public complaints of
inefficiency have prompted calls for Putrajaya to trim the public sector
down, but doing so could prompt a backlash as the civil service forms a
key vote bank for the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
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