In an unprecedented about-turn, the umbrella body to some 850,000 civil servants, Cuepacs, today agreed to a pledge of good conduct prepared by the government starting next year.

Cuepacs president N Siva Subramaniam said the body had accepted the controversial requirement by the government with conditions.

The conditions are amendments to two clauses in the pledge which state that civil servants cannot use outside forces in their decision-making and that civil servants can be sacked if they do not abide by the commitment pledge.

"It (the first clause) should read that civil servants cannot use outside forces in their decision-making unless the outside forces are trade union bodies," Bernama quoted the union president as saying.