Ex-EPF staff want benefits

KUALA LUMPUR: About 50 former Employees Provident Fund (EPF) staff members gathered in front of the headquarters here yesterday to hand over a memorandum demanding for the retirement benefits promised to them under the discontinued Staff Provident Fund (SPF).

They were among the 500 ex-employees who worked for more than 30 years claiming they had the right to SPF benefits totalling between RM100,000 and RM200,000.

They had tried to get the government to rectify wage losses and reduced retirement benefits under the Harun Salary Scheme implemented in January 1975 for statutory body and local authority employees while serving permanent staff could opt between the EPF and pensionable schemes.

The group's spokesman, Ismail Abdullah, claimed EPF had incorrectly implemented the Harun Commission Report which resulted in wage losses and reduced retirement benefits.

"SPF was then discontinued, but in 1988, the EPF board decided the SPF was part of the salary and not employee's contribution for those who opted for pension," he said.

He said they brought up the issue to the High Court but the EPF successfully appealed to drop the case.

Ismail said they had written to the EPF since 2009 on their claims. They even wrote to the prime minister for support.

"On Jan 14 this year, EPF rejected our appeal," he said.

He said they had held a similar protest at the same place last May.

Ismail pointed out that EPF did not make contributions to them between June 1975 to June 1977.

"While they are busy taking care of the others, they do not seem to care for their own staff," he said.

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