According to a media release, civil servants in Singapore will not get their mid-year bonus due to the impact brought by COVID-19 pandemic. The last time when such a crisis happened it was 10 years ago in 2009, during the global financial crisis.
Public officers in superscale grades will take one-time salary cuts of either 0.5 or 1 month, depending on their grading. This is followed after the announcement of a pay cut for senior public service officers in key leadership positions back in Feb 2020.
The government is grateful for the hard work and sacrifices of public officers has to bear while Singapore is in the fight against COVID-19.
According to the Minister of Trade and Industry, the year-end bonus is still possible provided that the economic situation improves by the end of the year. The people will be recognised for their effort and contribution based on their performance bonus.
During this difficult time, we should be focusing on what is more important such as restoring Singapore’s economy.