Sabah civil servants to enjoy pay rise
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah civil servants will enjoy a salary increase, which will be adjusted in line with their counterparts at the federal level, said Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
However, he said that the state government will first study the details of the civil servant salary increase, which is expected to be announced in the 2025 Budget, to be tabled this October, before implementing any increase.
“We will raise the salaries of civil servants in Sabah, don’t worry. We will follow the federal government,” he said when met by reporters after officiating the state-level Labour Day Tripartite 2024 celebration, at the International Convention Centre on Tuesday.
Also present were Human Resources Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad and Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
On May 1, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his speech at the national-level Labour Day 2024 celebration in Putrajaya, said that the salary scheme for civil servants would be increased by more than 13 per cent from Dec 1, this year, among the highest in the country’s history.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman, in his speech, said there are 756 trade unions across the country, with a membership of over 1 million people; with Sabah having 84 trade unions, with a total of 53,321 members.
“The percentage of workers who join unions in Sabah is only 2.58 per cent, compared with the total number of workers in the fourth quarter of 2023, which is 2.061 million people, according to data released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia,” he said.
He said in Sabah, through enforcement activities, the Labour Department (JTK) last year had managed to collect RM38.9 million from 5,367 employers who committed offences.
He said the enforcement activities have directly benefited 159,491 workers, and 14,746 workers have benefited financially.
“As of April 15, Sabah JTK has successfully collected RM6.36 million, involving 1,250 employers,” he said.