Will public sector salaries be paid before Eid al-Adha after the Ministry of Finance announced a lack of funds?
Public sector employees receive two types of salary increases. The first, approved in the 2022 budget, doubles the basic salary, ranging from a minimum of five million to a maximum of 12 million. The second increase is four times the basic salary, approved by the Cabinet last April, which is paid as a treasury loan. The current issue revolves around implementing the first increase outlined in the budget.
However, why today? As salaries were being paid regularly in previous months
There are two reasons: firstly, all the previously allocated funds have been disbursed, and secondly, there is no budget for 2023.
This necessitates a return to the Parliament to approve new allocations.
The problem is not financial, as the funds are available in the Ministry of Finance; what is needed is the formalization of their disbursement.
Consequently, the Speaker of Parliament called for a legislative session on Monday to address this matter. This issue formed the main focus of the meeting between Speaker Nabih Berri and Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Ain al-Tineh on Saturday, as the government initially prepared these figures before turning them into a proposed law.
The question now is whether the session will take place amidst political wrangling between those opposed to the legislation and the necessity of legislating.
The parliamentary blocs that have decided to participate include the Development and Liberation, the Loyalty to the Resistance, the Independent National Gathering, the National Accord, the Democratic Gathering, and the Moderate Bloc, accounting for at least 53 deputies in attendance.
Additionally, several independent MPs will join them, making it easy to reach the required quorum of 65 deputies for any legislative session.
We await the decision of the Free Patriotic Movement with its 17 deputies on whether they will attend the session regarding the extension of municipal councils under the slogan "Legislation of Necessity" or abstain from attending if there is another procedure to secure the funds.