The Cabinet, during its recent meeting, called for conducting a study on salary increases and other changes made in some authorities and then do a comparative analysis on salary structures in all government authorities , reports Al-Qabas daily.
A governmental source said the study will be finalized within three months and in the meantime, no increment or financial reward will be offered to anyone so that the study is not negatively affected.
The Cabinet, said the source, instructed the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to closely follow-up the issue and provide a report every two weeks about the latest developments in this regard.
The source said the proposal on salary increments will be studied impartially and added that there is a plan to equalize the salaries of employees holding the same level of qualifications regardless of the authority they work in. Some institutions and authorities, however, would be exempted due to their special nature of work.
Also, a preliminary study on strikes and sit-ins staged within the recent past revealed that employees of 18 public authorities demanded a general salary increment, while there were other demands to grant increments to 22 categories, noted the source.
Meanwhile, Minister of Commerce and Industry Amani Buresli affirmed backing of employees’ rights in order to create suitable working environment, saying the wage raise issue would be done with within three months.
Buresli, in a statement, said the ministry has asked the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and relevant authorities vis-a-vis the wage raise, and this file would be finalized within three months.
She said the ministry’s employees have full rights to demand for their rights “through legitimate channels” and not by harming public interest because it would negatively affect operations of the ministry.
Buresli said her administration was determined to improving the working environment by removing all obstacles facing employees. The minister met representatives of the ministry’s labor union to coordinate positions regarding the pay raise.
Burseli said she would give the labor union wage increase proposals by the CSC.
In another development, some representatives of the Social Affairs Sector at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor staged a protest in front of the office of Minister Mohammad Al-Afasi, calling for the implementation of a ministerial decree that says employees who spent 30 years or more in supervisory posts should be offered retirement, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
After a meeting of the protesters with Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Sector Jamal Al-Dousari, a member of the Social Affairs Workers’ Union Khalid Al-Qattan said there are 82 employees who served 30 years in supervisory posts. “The protest is meant to send a clear message that the decree should be implemented,” he said. He added that the protesters are not out to disrupt activities but to press home their demands. “Al-Dousari explained that the demands have been sent in a memo to the Civil Service Commission (CSC),” he said and expressed astonishment at the heavy security presence “because only representatives were sent to make their demands known.”
In related issue, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah has promised to amend the situation of retirees in a meeting with the ministers recently, reports Al-Kuwaitiya daily.
Sources quoted the premier as saying the retirees constitute a vital segment of society and amendment of their pension package has become necessary in light of the high cost of living in the country. Sources noted a decision on pension packages for retirees will be made next week. - Arabtimes