Powerful civil servants union Cuepacs today threw its weight behind the teaching union which had complained over the recall of teachers for meetings and work during school holidays.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was wrong in hitting out at National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) for raising that issue.

He said that Hishammuddin should have used a softer approach in finding out from the union about their complaints.

"He should have called in the union leaders to discuss the complaints raised by the teachers," he said in a statement.

"Instead the minister's open rebuke is not going to solve any problems," said Omar, who represents close to one million civil servants in Cuepacs.

He was responding to a Dec 9 the Star report on Hishammuddin hitting out at NUTP for making general statements which the minister said had adversely affected the reputation of the profession.

Earlier the union had called a press conference to complaint that teachers were being recalled during the school holidays.

NUTP said that it had received many complaints from its members and was worried that the exercise of recalling teachers during the year-end school holidays might become a trend.

Legitimate complaints

Hishammuddin reacted by saying that NUTP should have been more specific in their complaints by providing the names of the teachers and schools.

He said that NUTP's complaints were putting the profession in a bad light and had cast an impression to the public that the teachers did not want to teach with passion.

NUTP is the biggest coalition in Cuepacs and according to Omar the concerns they have raised were legitimate and with basis.

He said that Cuepacs too have received similar complaints from teachers regarding being recalled to work during school holidays.

Omar asserted that the teachers were just looking for an opportunity to enjoy their holiday with their family.

"This holiday period is a valuable period for teachers because it can help them to regain their energy and revitalize their energy," he noted.

He also pointed out that NUTP has the right to voice out its opinion which could help repair the weaknesses that exist in the present system.