No year-end bonus for civil servants; lower-wage staff to get one-off S$1,200

The Public Service Division (PSD) announced yesterday (27 Nov) that civil servants will not receive a year-end bonus payment and that lower-wage staff will receive a one-time payment of S$1,200, in view of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a press statement, the PSD highlighted the impact the coronavirus crisis has had on the economy and labour market as it explained why the Government has decided against giving civil servants any year-end Annual Variable Component (AVC) payment.

All civil servants will still be paid the Non-Pensionable Annual Allowance of one month and lower-wage civil servants will receive a one-time lump sum of S$1,200 if they are employed in Grades III to V of the Operations Support Scheme and equivalent grades.

Pointing to the grim 2020 GDP forecast of “-6.5% to -6.0%” and rising unemployment rates, the PSD said that the public sector stands in solidarity with Singaporeans during the ongoing recession.

It said: “In close consultation with the public sector unions, the Government has decided that there will not be any year-end Annual Variable Component (AVC) payment for civil servants this year. Taken together with the zero mid-year AVC announced earlier, this means that there will not be any AVC for the entire year.

“Nonetheless, in keeping with the recommendations of the National Wages Council (NWC) to uplift lower-wage workers, the Government continues to give special consideration for lower-wage civil servants, especially during these difficult times.”

Asserting that public officers have gone “above and beyond the call of duty, and worked tirelessly over many months, in the national fight against COVID-19,” the PSD expressed the Government’s deep appreciation for the hard work civil servants have put in amid the pandemic.

It added: “The fight against COVID-19 continues and the Public Service will continue to work hard, hand in hand with our citizens and stakeholders, to manage the pandemic and its economic ramifications. Together, we will overcome and emerge stronger.”

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