The "Public Administration Employees' Collective" emphasized that "it is necessary for the collective to be represented in the committee that will study the salary increase." In a statement, it pointed out that "on the fifth of this month, a delegation from the Public Administration Employees' Collective visited the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail, where they presented the grievances and suffering of the employees, confirming that their main demand is a new salary scale or a 50% raise as a preliminary phase based on the salary value before the crisis, taking into account fairness according to the salary base for all segments of the public sector. The Prime Minister expressed his full support for the legitimate demands of the employees, stressing the urgency of issuing the incentive decree as a temporary phase to reactivate the administration's work."
The collective added: "Despite our previous support for the Civil Service Council President's proposal as a temporary measure until the salary scale is completed, after noticing the government's lack of responsiveness to this proposal, and after reviewing some clauses of the new project, we agreed to it to avoid delaying its issuance, while demanding the inclusion of a minimum salary for the three levels to preserve the rights of the lower segments, in addition to amending the attendance requirement and the number of days, as it is unacceptable to demand employees return to 20 workdays without granting them all their rights. Concerns have been raised about the possibility of adjusting these matters in the cabinet session. However, the Public Administration Employees' Collective was surprised by the postponement of issuing the decree under the pretext of re-evaluation and redistribution, knowing that the number of administrative employees and the cost of their increase does not justify any significant adjustment due to the large discrepancies with the number of military personnel and retirees."
The collective asserted that "while standing in solidarity with all segments of the public sector, especially retirees who need to be treated justly, it rejects being a punching bag for anyone and refuses to appease any party at the expense of the dignity of public administration employees." They stated, "The government must find a solution that considers fairness and equality among sectors with similar circumstances in actual service, as the increase cannot translate into the cost of daily attendance at work. The primary demand of the collective is the preparation of a new salary scale. Until this scale is finalized, just incentives must be provided that consider imposed burdens, as discussing a new scale cannot happen before reactivating administrative work and securing revenues, which requires an increase no less than the original decree proposal. In a spirit of sacrifice and diligence, employees agreed to the new project despite the reduced allowance, confirming their rejection of impossible conditions. Any additional reduction would constitute a violation of dignity and a disregard for values before it is a violation of rights."
The collective pointed out, "We demand that the government adhere to its promise regarding the retroactive effect to be applied to the entire increase, without evasion or ambiguity in words. The collective affirms that the public administration is a single body and rejects any specific administration from receiving special benefits. Based on this principle, the Public Administration Employees' Collective demands that the government include all workers in administrative public institutions, especially the State Employees' Cooperative, in the increase."
The Public Administration Employees' Collective called for "the continuation of the strike and the cessation of work until the decree is issued without any reduction in the allowance, and encourages all employees to stand up for their dignity. The collective expresses astonishment at the irresponsibility and indifference of some administrations that do not commit to stopping work when it is possible, noting that the silence of employees today will establish a dangerous precedent and push all sectors to deal with us in the same manner in the future, positioning us as a scapegoat for everyone. The collective warns of an escalation step that employees are currently avoiding due to its risks for all workers and retirees in the public sector."
