Finance Ministry: Salary Increases Require Additional Parliamentary Approval

The Media Office of the Ministry of Finance issued a statement responding to remarks made by Walid Al-Shi'ar, Secretary General of the Public Administration Employees Association, in various media outlets. The office expressed strong surprise at such positions coming from a Ministry of Finance employee who is expected to have full knowledge of the constitutional and legal principles governing public expenditure.

What is even more surprising, the statement noted, is his apparent ignorance or deliberate disregard of a fundamental legal and financial fact known to all public sector workers: the 2026 general budget, as approved by Parliament, does not allocate any funds for salary or wage increases. Therefore, any such increase necessarily requires the approval of an additional appropriation law issued by Parliament. Consequently, neither the Ministry of Finance nor the Minister of Finance has the authority to initiate, disburse, or bypass the constitutional and legal procedures governing such expenditures. The statement added that a draft law to open the necessary appropriation for this purpose has been prepared and submitted to Parliament for approval in the upcoming legislative session.