Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait has said that the newly approved increase in salaries of public employees will be applied as of 13 April. This decision is part of the state's efforts to contain inflation and ease the burden of high living costs on citizens. Maait added, in a statement on Monday, that the social protection package to improve the wages of public workers and pensioners has an annual cost of EGP 150bn, including EGP 95bn to increase the minimum wage and the budget of Takaful and Karama social aid programme. The package also includes EGP 55bn to increase pensions. He pointed out that the cost of expediting the disbursement of the new increases from April to June 2023 amounts to EGP 40bn. The Minister of Finance referred to an increase in the tax exemption limit from EGP 24,000 to EGP 36,000 annually. The minimum for the total increases determined in this package for state employees will not go below EGP 1,000bn per month. He explained that a minimum limit for the total income of state employees has been approved for sixth degree occupants. EGP 3,500 per month for workers, EGP 5,000 for the third specialized degree, EGP 6,000 for master's holders, and EGP 7,000 for PhD holders. Maait said that this package includes approving a periodic bonus of 8% for those who are addressed by the Civil Service Law with a minimum of EGP 125, and a 15% special bonus for those who are not addressed with a minimum of EGP 125, in addition to the additional incentive with lump-sum financial categories of EGP 300 for the sixth, fifth and fourth degrees, and 400 pounds for the third and second degrees, and EGP 500 for the occupants of the positions of general manager, deputy minister, and first deputy minister. He explained that the package also includes an increase in medical professions allowance by EGP 400 to 475, increasing it from EGP 1,100 to 1,700 for doctors and nursing staff. In addition, the compensations for night and overnight shifts for medical workers will be doubled. The same applies to the emergency incentive granted to doctors and nursing staff who work in emergency departments. The package also includes an increase in the performance incentive for teachers in the Ministry of Education and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif by EGP 300, and an increase in the quality incentive for staff members and their assistants in universities, institutes, and research centres by EGP 300 per month.
