The assurance came from the government after a protest was held by these cleaners outside the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) here today.
Normah Abu Hassan, a spokesman for the cleaners, said initially the government had asked for a week’s extension but the cleaners demanded that the salary arrears of four months be paid together with their March salary by the end of the week because Ramadan was approaching.
“Officials from the education ministry and the PMO had asked for a one-week extension, but we insisted that the issue be resolved by this Friday.
“So, they gave their word they will pay us no later than Friday,” she said after the group handed over a memorandum to a representative from the PMO during the protest.
Aside from the payment of the salary arrears, they held placards demanding for their “annual leave”, “salary increment”, and “EPF contribution”.
One of the cleaners, Osman Uton, 46, said he had to take on other jobs, including delivering goods, after his working hours in order to survive as he had not been paid since November.
“When I’m finished with work (cleaning the school area), I will deliver goods and do all kinds of work so that I can feed my children,” he told FMT.
Osman said he also had to borrow money from friends and relatives to support his children, while some of his colleagues had turned to teachers for financial help.
On a call for school cleaning contracts to be terminated, Normah said the education ministry had pledged to review all information before making any decision.
Meanwhile, Danial Hakeem, a coordinator with the Government Contract Workers Network said the school cleaners at the protest today were forced to travel from Sabak Bernam to Putrajaya because all their complaints to the education ministry went unheard.
He said the salary arrears claim had been reported to the labour department, while a hearing by the Kuala Selangor labour office that was supposed to take place tomorrow has been postponed to April 4.
“We wrote to the ministry to meet us on March 4, but it tried to wash its hands of the matter. The education ministry told the workers that it had no authority over it.
“However, the fact is the cleaning contractors are hired by the ministry,” he said.