Civil servant associations are calling for pay increases of up to five percent for public sector workers, in the wake of Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng’s disclosure that public sector salary hikes are being considered.
Pang Kung Hou of the Macau Civil Servants Federation (MCSF) told the Macau Daily Times that the raise should be between three and five percent, but cautioned that the increase, while being “a help,” would not fully alleviate the pressures of higher living costs.
He said that the MCSF would also be calling for increases in the housing allowances paid to civil servants.
[See more: Civil servants are calling for a pay rise because of ‘inflation’]
José Pereira Coutinho, the president of the Macau Public Servants Association (ATFPM), agreed that the raises should be three percent as a minimum.
Pay rises for the public sector workers have been in the spotlight since the chief executive told legislators last week that a proposal had been sent to the Committee for Evaluation of the Remuneration of Civil Servants.
Ho also suggested that Macao’s gaming concessionaires, who are major employers, follow the administration’s lead and look at raises for their staff.
