Kuwait has reduced salaries and reduced financial benefits for workers in government agencies, in order to reduce the expenditures of Chapter One in the state budget.

According to Arab Net, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Finance reached an agreement with the Competition Protection Authority to reduce the salaries of employees in the agency by approximately 30% - 50%, according to the job grade. And the supervisory or leadership position, according to the new salary structure of the agency that was approved in October of last year in accordance with the requirements of Law 72 of 2020.

It was also agreed to cancel health insurance for employees of the agency, and the system for external scholarships for employees wishing to complete master's and doctoral degrees at the agency's expense, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas.

The newspaper, quoting sources, said that the competition authority, after long negotiations with the Ministry of Finance, contented itself with increasing the workers' salary structure by a weak percentage that does not compare with what was planned in the salary scale. The new one, which was approved about a year ago.

The sources said that the agency has approached the finance department to formally approve the new salary scale, which is expected to be approved within the next two months, explaining that the employees of the competition protection agency are still getting paid. Their salaries for about a year are according to the old salary scale.

She continued: The Kuwaiti government is proceeding with austerity plans and reducing expenditures, and that the issue has become an absolute necessity and not a luxury, and this time no political pressure will be allowed to return the economic reform process as it is. It was previously.

And she indicated that a number of ministries and government agencies have already started the austerity plan and reduce expenditures in the required percentage set by the cabinet decision, including the ministries of Finance, Trade, Industry, Health and Works and their affiliated entities.

She explained that the new government approach to reducing spending will not stop at a certain limit, but rather there will be an expansion in reducing additional items such as excellent work for government employees and others that drain the state budget annually In the hundreds of millions.

The Ministry of Finance is moving in setting clear frameworks to implement government directions to reduce spending by 10%, and increase state treasury revenues with non-oil funds, as the government aims to provide 2.3 billion dinars. of the total expenses, in addition to an increase in the fees for some services provided by the various entities.

According to government recommendations, reducing or postponing expenditures will not prejudice the implementation of government tenders that have been recently signed, or that are needed by the state's infrastructure, given that such contracts are considered A necessity not included in the government's austerity agenda.