In a press release issued on May 26, 2026, the ministry explained that amendments made to Law No. 017/2020 governing public servants and Prime Minister’s Order No. 024/03 on allowances do not alter the way salaries are determined nor increase take-home pay.
The clarification follows widespread interpretations suggesting that the reforms would lead to harmonized salaries across government institutions and higher pay for leaders in public entities.
MIFOTRA stated that amendments introduced under Law No. 017/2026 of April 23, 2026 concern only improvements and harmonization in the process through which institutions apply for and obtain special employment statutes.
“The changes introduced by this amendment relate only to the improvements and harmonization in the way institutions apply for and obtain the special statute,” the ministry said.
The ministry emphasized that there is no change in the salary determination framework for public servants.
Under the general public service statute, salaries continue to be determined through institutional salary structures approved by the Cabinet, based on an institution’s index value, the employee’s position level and responsibilities attached to the role.
For specialized institutions operating under special statutes, remuneration frameworks remain approved by their respective boards of directors in accordance with laws establishing those institutions.
MIFOTRA also addressed concerns surrounding Prime Minister’s Order No. 016/03 of May 22, 2026, which amended regulations governing public servants’ allowances.
According to the ministry, the amendment was adopted to align public service compensation with pension reforms that took effect on January 1, 2025, while ensuring employees’ take-home pay remains unchanged.
“The amendment was adopted to harmonize with the pension reforms and maintain public servants’ take-home salaries. Therefore, it doesn’t result in any increase or decrease in the net payments of public servants,” the statement reads.
The ministry noted that the reforms concern all public servants and not only leaders, as some reports had suggested.
It further clarified that the responsibility allowance is not exclusively reserved for senior officials, but applies to public servants who supervise colleagues at the same organizational level.
“For instance, a Director of Finance supervising finance management specialists is entitled to such an allowance because they are otherwise on the same position level,” MIFOTRA explained.
The ministry added that net housing, transport and responsibility allowances remain unchanged. Only the gross amounts were adjusted to reflect changes brought by pension reforms, without affecting the net benefits employees receive.
The clarification comes after confusion triggered by the increase in pension contributions from 6 percent to 12 percent of an employee’s salary, which had raised concerns over a possible reduction in take-home pay.
MIFOTRA maintains that the revised allowance calculations were specifically designed to offset the impact of the pension reforms and ensure that public servants continue receiving the same net earnings.
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