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CUEPACS proposal on Malaysian civil servants' disciplinary cases to be reviewed

A proposal by Malaysia's Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS), pushing for civil servants involved in disciplinary cases to be directly referred to the Industrial Court, will be submitted to the Prime Minister. This was reported by Bernama.

Speaking to reporters after officiating the CUEPACS 2019 Workers Day celebration in Ipoh on 2 May (Thursday), Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran said the proposal could ease the burden on civil servants.

This is because previously, when civil servants had to refer their cases to the High Court, they faced high costs which could not be afforded by most.

That said, Minister Kulasegaran added that the current proposal would have to be approved by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Cabinet members first, before the decision is taken.

He added: "I have received a letter from the Perak CUEPACS requesting me to refer the matter directly to the Industrial Court where the cost is low and the case can be disposed within a short period of time."

During a press conference held separately, Datuk Azih Muda, President of CUEPACS, said under Section 52 of the Industrial Relations Act 1967, civil servants and statutory board employees cannot be referred to the Industrial Court against any disciplinary-related cases.

"If you wish to bring the case to the Industrial Court, you have to obtain the consent from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong first. Hence, it is unfair for government and statutory bodies's employees to incur high cost on their defence while those from the private sector are not charged."

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