A civil servant who asked to be known as Ain said there were civil servants who were classified as low-income, such as those like her in Grade 19 and below.
She said those in Grade 19 only received RM1,300 a month, not including allowances.
While Putrajaya had enforced the new minimum wage of RM1,500 since May 1, she told FMT this did not apply to government workers in Grade 19 and below.
Ain said this made her predicament even worse as many traders have raises their prices since last month.
“A plate of chicken rice at the government complex I work at used to be RM5. This was before Hari Raya.
“But after the new minimum wage came into effect, stall owners have raised the price to RM6.50,” she said, adding that this meant that her monthly expenses on food alone would increase significantly.
However, she said she did not blame the traders as the prices of ingredients had also gone up.
Ain hoped the government would raise the wages of those in Grade 19 and below, in line with the rise in the cost of living.
“We know that Grade 19 civil servants like us, who are mostly support staff, only have Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) qualifications. But a raise would at least help us cover the higher costs of food at this time,” she said.
Another civil servant, who asked to be known as Hanis, said not all civil servants were high-income earners.
She said she had friends in the Grade 19 category who were their families’ sole breadwinners.
“Not all civil servants have it easy. There are some who fall under the B40 category.
“It is especially difficult for those who are entering the civil service at the lower grades. It is even more challenging if they’re residing in the Klang Valley,” Hanis said.
Cuepacs, the umbrella body for civil service unions, had urged Putrajaya to implement three crucial measures to assist civil servants affected by the increase in the price of goods.
On Thursday, Cuepacs president Adnan Mat reiterated his call for a RM1,800 minimum wage for the civil service while also urging for two annual salary increments and a new and more effective remuneration system.
Adnan said the RM1,800 minimum wage would help Putrajaya achieve its goal of a RM10,000 monthly household income, one of its aims in the 12th Malaysia Plan to make Malaysia a high-income nation by 2025.
He also reiterated his call for a new remuneration system, saying the current one was 20 years old and ineffective.