KUCHING: The Sarawak Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS) hopes that any action against unvaccinated civil servants will be taken with due consideration and tolerance.

Its chairman Omar Bahrein Unin said this included identifying the real problem as to why they did not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

"Civil servants are subject to the rules and procedures but we hope that this disciplinary action will not include dismissal or severe punishment.

"This is because this (vaccination) issue is a new thing in the civil service and not a crime," he said in a statement here today.

Yesterday, the Public Service Department (JPA) announced that all federal public service officers are required to take the COVID-19 vaccine jabs to give confidence and assurance to the public and to ensure smooth public delivery service to the people.

According to JPA, almost 98 per cent of civil servants had been vaccinated against COVID-19 while the group who had yet to register to be vaccinated only comprised 1.6 per cent or 16,902 people.

-- BERNAMA