Flexible work hours must not lead to lower pay, govt told

 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently said he will discuss flexible or shorter working hours for women in the public sector.

PETALING JAYA: A women’s group says flexible work arrangements should not result in lower pay for civil servants, regardless of gender.

Recently, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he would discuss flexible or shorter working hours for women in the public sector to allow them to spend more time caring for their families. However, he said the flexibility may involve the introduction of different pay rates.

Speaking to FMT, All Women’s Action Society (Awam) senior information and communications officer Amanda Shweeta Louis said lowering women’s salaries would only worsen the gender pay gap.

It will also reinforce the idea that those with caregiving responsibilities are less deserving of fair compensation, she added.

“Women are often forced into part-time or flexible employment due to caregiving responsibilities, resulting in lower wages and limited opportunities to advance their careers.

“Flexible work arrangements should be decoupled from pay and should be available to all civil servants on an equitable basis,” said Louis.

She suggested that the government implement a universal basic income (UBI) scheme covering all employees to address the flexibility issue without widening the gender pay gap or forcing women to leave their careers.

Louis said the UBI scheme would alleviate financial pressure on women and empower them to balance careers and caregiving without the risk of falling into poverty.

Meanwhile, Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Rashid said allowing men to enjoy flexible work arrangements could also help break down traditional gender roles and stereotypes that assign caregiving as solely a woman’s responsibility.

“Gender equality in the workplace means that both men and women should have the opportunity to balance work and family responsibilities,” she said.

Syerleena said another approach would be to mandate that companies and government buildings must have childcare centres which their employees can send their children to, adding that the government could also consider offering work-from-home options to all civil servants.

Anwar, who made the call for flexible work arrangements at the International Women’s Day Celebration 2024 on March 8, said the matter would be considered as part of a study into a new civil service salary scheme.

He said the proposal, if accepted and implemented, would see Malaysia become the first country in the world to provide such flexibility to female civil servants. - FMT