Country Leaders Get 1-Month Pay Cut, Public Officers On Frontline Of Covid-19 To Get Up To 1 Month Bonus
Earlier this week, it was announced that several big companies like Temasek Holdings and SMRT are cutting its management staff’s salary.
On Friday, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced that all ministers in Singapore will have their pay docked for a month to “show solidarity with Singaporeans “amid the Covid-19 crisis”.
Pay cut announcement made during budget round-up
The announcement was made on Friday (28 Feb) when Mr Heng was wrapping up the debate on the 2020 budget.
Apart from the ministers, President Halimah Yacob and all MPs will have their allowance cut for a month, according to TODAY Online.
Other senior public service officers will also have their pay cut for half a month — political leaders are doing their part amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
Frontline health workers to receive special bonus
Meanwhile, public servants working on the frontline battling Covid-19 will receive a special bonus of up to a month.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), this includes healthcare workers under the Ministry of Health and restructured hospitals.
Image sourced via AFP
Additionally, the 900 Public Health Preparedness Clinics activated during the Covid-19 will receive a one-off Covid-19 grant.
This will hopefully provide them with the support to care for patients showing respiratory symptoms.
Unity is vital during this difficult time
During his speech, Mr Heng also reiterated the importance of unity during this trying period.
According to him, Singapore can only effectively tackle the new coronavirus only because of the trust between the citizens and the government.
Strengthening trust between Singaporeans & government
Things aren’t easy for most people during the Covid-19 outbreak. We are heartened by our leaders’ efforts to stand in solidarity with fellow Singaporeans.
We hope this will strengthen the trust between Singaporeans and the government, which goes a long way in winning the ongoing battle against Covid-19.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
