Cuepacs has suggested that civil servants in Support Group II consider part-time work if their departments are reluctant to pay overtime.

Its president Omar Osman said Cuepacs had received complaints from workers in the group that they were not being paid any overtime when working after hours on the excuse that their departments did not have the budget to make overtime payment.

"As such, workers in this group can work as normal from 8am to 5pm and after that it is not necessary to work OT (overtime), change up and take up taxi driving or something else," he told reporters after participating in a workshop on workers' code of counduct organised by the umbrella union for civil servants at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur today.

Omar said the departments concerned should pay for overtime work done although it might not be the full amount, so as not to affect productivity.

"It should not be a case where no payment is made at all. For example, if the worker does 100 hours of OT and the department cannot pay in full, at least pay for 70 hours and convert the balance 30 hours into replacement off days," he said.

Omar said there were almost 450,000 workers in  Support Group 2 under Grades 1 to 16 consisting of drivers, office assistants, medical assistants and other workers in lower ranks, 60 per cent of whom did overtime work.

On another matter, Omar also urged the Public Service Department (PSD) to review its Service Circular 4/2010 so that gratuity payment is made in full to civil servants who opt to retire early and not partial payments as was being done now.

He also said civil servants sacked for indiscipline but not involving corruption or crimes should also be paid gratuity.

"Now civil servants on the pension scheme who are sacked lose all privileges but if they are under the EPF (Employees Provident Fund) scheme their entitlement to both their and the employers contribution is not affected.

"This is a mismatch," he said.

Asked if Cuepacs would be taking any action against its secretary- general Ahmad Shah Mohd Zin for issuing statements that women were beginning to dominate the civil service, which received flak from various quarters, Omar said Cuepacs' council would be convening a special meeting soon to discuss the matter.

- Bernama