AMMAN (JT) - Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on Wednesday said the study conducted on restructuring the salaries of public sector employees has been completed and will be presented to the Cabinet on Saturday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During a meeting with presidents of the professional associations, Bakhit said the Council of Ministers will set an executive plan to implement the recommendation of the study to ensure justice among all public sector employees, noting that the cost for restructuring the salaries is estimated at JD100 million annually.

Stressing the government’s commitment to improving the conditions of professional associations’ members working in government-run institutions, the premier noted that the government will not make any partial solutions before knowing the results and the recommendations of the study, according to Petra.

“Such partial solutions have contributed to tarnishing the image of the Jordanian public administration over the past years”, Bakhit said.

Out of respect and appreciation for the role of professional associations, the government has conducted a survey on the membership of the boards of directors at public companies and institutions to reform them and ensure more representation of the unions, Bakhit said.

He noted that the government is also keen to involve members of associations in technical and political committees, as it did when the national dialogue committee was formed.

The prime minister called on the associations to show understanding of the difficult conditions facing the Kingdom in light of the deficit in the state budget estimated at JD1.16 billion, which could increase in light of the unprecedented rise of global oil prices.

Association chiefs then took turn to list their syndicates’ demands.

Professional Association Council President and President of the Jordan Agriculture Engineers Association Abdul Hadi Falahat called on the government to observe justice in the salaries of agriculture engineers working in state agencies, Petra reported.

For his part, Jordan Pharmacists Association President Mahmoud Ababneh called for reviewing the sales tax imposed on drugs, which amounts to 4 per cent.

Jordan Medical Association President Ahmad Armouti called on the government to endorse the special payroll system for doctors in public hospitals, who number 4,700 physicians, while president of the Jordan Nurses and Midwives Association Khaled Abu Azizeh called for including nurses in the financial incentives system.

Also at the meeting, Jordan Geologists Association President Bahjat Odwan called for equality in employment, stressing the need to increase geological offices’ participation in conducting environmental studies.

President of the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) Abdullah Obeidat asked the government to consider the amended bylaw of the JEA, while President of the Jordan Artists Association Hussein Khatib requested establishing a fund to support Jordanian drama productions and allocating residential plots of land for artists.

Abdul Fatah Keilani, president of the Jordan Veterinarians Association called for restoring salary raises for veterinarians, pointing to the decreasing number of new graduates, while Barakat Jaabari, president of the Jordan Dental Association also requested better financial incentives for dentists employed by the public sector.

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