KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — The Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) continues to prioritise the welfare of its staff despite facing a challenging economic environment since the country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

LTAT in a statement today expressed its regret at the allegations made by its Staff Union (KKLTAT) that the management of LTAT did not pay attention to the welfare of workers.

"Several discussion and explanation sessions for KKLTAT including through the official forum of the Joint Departmental Meeting have been held to discuss KKLTAT’s demand that staff salaries be adjusted to 15 per cent increase and paid in arrears until 2020,” it said.

Yesterday, KKLTAT was reported holding a picket from 1pm to 2pm at the LTAT Building area, Jalan Bukit Bintang, here, claiming that LTAT did not look after the welfare of its staff.

LTAT said the demands made by KKLTAT were indeed in the process of implementation and the salaries would be adjusted not on a flat rate as was the practice before but individually, based on the appropriate salary mapping.

"Because of that, some staff who are below P50 (the market salary benchmark) will enjoy a salary adjustment of up to 36 per cent in addition to a subsistence allowance of RM5,200 each.

"However, the management regrets KKLTAT’s decision to continue with the picket although the salary adjustment plan and subsistence payments had been notified earlier,” it further said in the statement.

According to LTAT, since 2020 and until now, it continued to pay a maximum annual bonus of three months’ pay while the percentage rate of staff annual salary increases from 2020 to 2022 were from a maximum of 5.5 to 7.0 per cent according to their respective performance.

"LTAT also provided the Special Covid-19 Cost of Living aid from 2020 to 2021 to the affected staff with a total amount of RM36,590.

"In addition, LTAT gave a moratorium so that the staff who borrowed from the board did not have to repay the loan for a period of six months,” it added.

LTAT reiterated that no staff lost their jobs and there was no cut in basic salary or monthly allowance during the pandemic. — Bernama