The Congress of Unions of Employees in the public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) today urged government agencies to extend the contract of their 50,000 employees whose terms would expire at the end of this year.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said they had received pleas from contract employees to mitigate their dilemma.

"We will protect their welfare, considering that most had served for more than 10 years. Most importantly, they also have families to support so we hope the government will review the decision," he told reporters after chairing Cuepacs' supreme council meeting at Wisma Cuepacs in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

On the 10 percent reduction in intake of employees into the civil service beginning next year, Omar opined that many new graduates from public and private institutions of higher learning might not be able to get a job.

No opportunity

Meanwhile, Omar said about 3,000 kindergarten teachers and assistant teachers might not have the opportunity to become permanent teachers in the national Unity and integration department despite their working experience of between 15 to 20 years.

"Cuepacs had previously sent a memorandum to the department but we did not receive any response," he said.

He stressed that the department should not only accept teachers who possessed a diploma but should also take work experience into consideration.

Omar said Cuepacs had during the meeting, also raised the corporatisation of the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority.

"Cuepacs urge the government to defer the implementation. The government must first brief the agency's workforce on it and Cuepacs should be rightly involved in the corporatisation.

"In this regard, Cuepacs proposed that the workforce be offered a choice, whether to opt for early retirement, be transferred to another department or resign from the service," he said.

- Bernama