A HOSPITAL union has expressed its disappointment with Putrajaya over its failure to recognise its members as front-line workers and denying them a RM300 one-off payment under Budget 2021. 

In a statement, the private sector hospital workers union said cleaners in government hospitals also work in Covid-19 hospitals and wards. 

“They carry out their duties together with other officers. Cleaners who wash, clean the Covid-19 wards also have ‘direct contact’ with the patients there. 

“So the risks faced by cleaners are also the same as the officers in the Covid-19 wards,” the union said in a Facebook post today, calling for the special allowance to be given to them as well.

On November 26, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the government agreed to an additional RM300 one-off payment for all front-liners in the country, including police and military officers.

He said the decision was made to include other front-liners, in addition to Health Ministry officers. 

After the announcement by the finance minister, Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil took to Twitter to highlight that cleaners were not included in the list of front-liners. 

However, in a response to Fahmi, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof said the one-off RM300 payment is only for “people at higher risk”, such as staff who deal with high-risk groups or patients.

The union said this is the second time cleaners have been ignored by the government from getting such allowances. 

“In March, the government announced a special allowance of RM600 for front-liners but cleaners were not recognised as one so they were not entitled to it. 

“In Budget 2021, once again cleaners were left out.

“This is very unreasonable and does not appreciate the service of cleaners,” it said. 

The union added cleaners are also important front-liners, who are working to stop the Covid-19 outbreak. – December 2, 2020.