By Nabil Al Mulhem
Damascus
A substantial raise in Syrian government military employees’ salaries will be announced Sunday, according to Assistant Minister of Economy Shibly Abu Fakhr on Saturday.
But the official declined to divulge the size of the raise.
According to governmental sources, the rise will amount to 75 percent for civil servants and 100 percents for the military.
There are approximately 10 million Syrians, the employees and their families, who live on salaries from the army or government. The population of Syria is estimated at 17 million.
It’s been 12 years since the public sector received an increase in income.
Meanwhile, Minister of Economy Mohammad Emadi had told businessmen at a seminar held in Damascus on Thursday that Syria will not witness a parallel rise in prices if the salaries improve. He brushed off fears among the government employees that the increase will be absorbed by inflated prices of essential commodities.
Government and army employees receive as monthly wages $100-400, and many of them look for other jobs to support their incomes – Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
