The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) will make a major announcement tomorrow concerning the New Remuneration Scheme in the Public Service (SBPA).

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said the decision whether to accept or to reject the new scheme would be made by 135 Cuepacs affiliates attending a congress at Hotel Brasmana, Kuala Perlis.

“The congress will specifically discuss the SPBA because the briefing by the Public Services Department (PSD) previously only touched on policy matters. We have had no additional information apart from the circulars distributed to us,” he told reporters after briefing the Kedah Cuepacs members in Sungai Petani today.

He said that the period between Dec 16 and 30 given by the PSD for civil servants to sign the SBPA option letter was too short.

“It seems to us that civil servants will have no choice. How are we to agree to it if we are not clear about it?”

The congress would also decide whether to ask the PSD to extend the period for signing the option letter, he said.

Omar said Cuepacs would ask members to not sign the PSD offer letter until they fully understand and are satisfied with the SBPA.

Briefings carried out by Cuepacs in nine states so far showed that many members of the civil service are not clear about what the SBPA entails, he said.

Among the issues raised, he said, was whether those who obtained high marks in performance appraisals would get the commensurate rewards promised to them, and what would happen to those obtaining marks less than 70.

Omar said Cuepacs would ask the PSD to join its nationwide tour to explain the SBPA to civil servants.

- Bernama