KUALA LUMPUR: A group of retirees want the Social Security Organisation (Socso) to extend gratuity payments to all.
Their spokesman Mohd Noor Abdullah said they received an ex-gratia payment in 2014 based on the formula of RM1,000 for every year of service.
However, only those who retired after Jan 1, 2017 were entitled to the payments.
Mohd Noor said the 2017 payment was based on a different formula. Each person who was entitled received 7.5% of his last drawn salary for every month of service in 2017.
The group’s lawyer M. Visvanathan said they would not hesitate to file for a judicial review if the matter was not resolved.
Mohd Noor said attempts to bring the matter up with Socso CEO Datuk Seri Mohammad Azman Aziz Muhammad had been futile.
In an immediate response, Socso deputy CEO Datin Azlaily Abd Rahman said there was no justification for a revision in favour of those who retired before Jan 1, 2017.
“Any decision by the board relating to the finances of Socso cannot be backdated because it can have a long-term impact (on its ability to disburse future payments),” she said.
She also refuted claims that there was a promise to extend payments to those who retired before Jan 1, 2017.
However, the complainants had the right to take legal action if they were not satisfied, she told a press conference at the Socso headquarters here.
