Salary scale
ratified by Parliament

Public employees working hours

extended, Saturdays are off

Parliament has ratified 38 articles forming the salary scale law for civil servants and public employees.

The first item approves raising the minimum monthly salary to $450 for employees in public administrations, municipalities, the Lebanese University, and other public institutions that do not operate under the Labor Law. The increase is now equal to that of the minimum salary of private sector employees.

All public employees of different ranks will be immediately given three pay grades. The value of the grade depends on the category (first through fifth). Every two years thereafter, they will be given an additional grade. There will be no more ceiling for the grades they can obtain, contrary to what was previously applied. For example, an employee in the first category will start at $3000 a month instead of the previous monthly salary of $1,800, which can reach up to $6,000 toward the end of service.

Public high school (secondary) teachers will be given three pay grades, and public primary and intermediate teachers will be given six pay grades.

Other types of employees who do not follow the public labor law will have their own separate pay increase scheme. Contractual employees, including Lebanese University, Green Project, Council for South, invoice-based workers, and permanent and temporary contractual employees will receive the following ‘high cost of living raise’:

- 100 percent of the first bracket till LL400,000 ($265). The raise should not be less than LL 375,000 ($249).
- Nine percent of the second bracket that is above LL400,000 ($265) and does not exceed LL1.5 million ($1,000)
- No raise for the bracket exceeding LL1.5 million ($1,000)

Public employees at municipalities and unions of municipalities will be given the same raise.

Hourly contractual workers who teach at schools will be given ‘high cost of living raise’ determined by the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education.

Retired civil servants whose salaries are less than LL600,000 ($400) will be given a LL150,000 L.L ($100) raise and above LL600,000 ($400), a LL200,000 ($132) raise.

They will also be given a 25 percent raise of the first bracket till LL675,000 ($450)

-Ten percent for the bracket range of LL675,000 and LL1.35 million ($450-$895)
-Eight percent for the bracket LL1.35 million and LL2.025 million ($895-$1,343)
-Six percent for the bracket LL2.025 and LL2.7 ($1,343-$1,790)
-Four percent for above LL2.7 million ($1,790)

Parliament approved extending the working hours of public employees for an additional five hours per week. Employees will now work from 8:00a.m. to 3:30p.m., but will no longer work on Saturdays. Muslim employees were exempt from working the two hours on Friday associated with prayer times.