Outgoing Prime Minister Nagib Mikati, chairing the meeting of the committee responsible for setting the terms of granting bonuses to officials in the Grand Sérail. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Thursday that conditions dictating the distribution of performance bonuses to civil servants had been adjusted and set by a commission dedicated specifically to the issue.
The commission met at the Grand Serail during the day and included outgoing Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, outgoing Minister of State for Administrative Development Najla Riachi, Director of Central Inspection (CI) Georges Attieh, and Civil Service Authority Chairwoman Nisrine Chahine.
The bonuses were introduced with the 2024 budget but were distributed unevenly across the public sector, leading employees to strike in response. The bonuses were then unilaterally frozen, causing further unrest.
Then, on Feb. 28, the bonuses were reinstated by the Council of Ministers to put an end to several weeks of disquiet among the frustrated and underpaid public sector workers.
Evaluation reports
One of the conditions laid down by the commission is that reports listing the time spent by civil servants, including the most important tasks they have carried out, must be drawn up on a monthly basis by the departmental director general or the superior directly linked to the minister in charge of each designated department or administration.
The first report should include an inventory of outstanding tasks and the reasons why they have not yet been completed so that the government can be told to find solutions if necessary.
Attendance
Civil servants must respect the official attendance times imposed by law (n°46 of August 21, 2017) or set by the department to which they are assigned, and absences must be justified by "a legal document."
If a worker is not in attendance for more than five days in a one-month period, then the bonuses do not apply. The bonuses also do not apply if the number of work days logged is less than 16, even in cases where a worker may not have taken more than five days off. For example, this would apply in months where public holidays would significantly affect work schedules.
Absences justified by health, family, or administrative reasons are not necessarily exempt from the count, but the rules in place provide for arrangements for employees suffering from serious and chronic illnesses.
Any unexplained absence, even for a single day in the course of a month, entails the loss of entitlement to the bonus for the same month.
Verification of attendance time will be based on a mechanism already provided for in decree no. 13.020 of 28/2/2024, which enacted the increases.
The amounts
The committee's decision also sets the amounts for each type of bonus, determined according to criteria that divides the public sector into five categories. They will amount to :
LL15 million (just over $167.5 at the market rate of LBP 89,500 to the dollar) for 5th category employees, contract employees, and "technical service providers."
LL 17 million ($190) for 4th category employees.
LL 19 million ($212) for 3rd category employees.
LL 22 million ($246) for 2nd category employees.
LL 25 million ($280) for 1st category employees.
Various terms and conditions
The criteria used to determine these categories are based on the employee's position and responsibilities. In the case of contract staff, the terms of their contracts with the State serve as the basis.
Line managers who are directly linked to the minister of each department or administration and general managers are responsible for the proper application of the criteria, each within the scope of their authority.
According to a program prepared by the General Manager or the relevant line manager, departments will periodically check that the criteria are properly applied.