President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued two consecutive legislative decrees, raising salaries and wages by 200% for public sector employees, increasing pensions by the same amount, and improving the minimum wage.
The first decree, No. 102, stipulated an increase in the salaries of civilian and military employees in all ministries, departments, public institutions, public sector companies and establishments, and administrative units, as well as employees in the joint sector in which the state's share of the capital is no less than 50%.
The decree also stipulated that the same increase would apply to monthly, daily, and temporary workers—including agents, seasonal workers, casual workers, and contractors—whether they work part-time, on a production basis, or on a fixed or variable wage basis.
The decree excluded employees covered by the provisions of the Basic Employees Law No. 53 of 2021, issued by the former "Syrian Salvation Government," from this increase, according to Article 2, Paragraph (b).
In parallel, the minimum wage in the private, cooperative, and joint sectors was raised to 750,000 Syrian pounds per month. This decision includes workers not covered by the Basic Labor Law No. 50 of 2004.
The decree also granted the Minister of Finance the authority to amend salary scales to reflect the new increase, rounding up to the nearest thousand Syrian pounds. The necessary implementing regulations for the decree will be issued, and the required legislative instrument will be drafted accordingly.
A separate legislative decree, No. (103), was also issued, stipulating a 200% increase in pensions for beneficiaries covered by the applicable insurance, pension, and social security laws, effective from the beginning of next month.
In addition to original pension recipients, the decree includes their dependents according to legal shares, as well as civilians receiving partial disability pensions who do not receive any other pension from other insurance providers.
The decree stipulated that the pension of any employee in public entities, or entities subject to the provisions of Decree No. 60 of 2013, upon retirement after the decree's effective date, shall not be less than the pension they would have been entitled to on the day preceding its effective date, plus the new increase.
It also set a ceiling for the increase for pensioners who were employed in the private sector, ensuring it does not exceed the amount received by their counterparts working in the public sector.
Both decrees tasked the Minister of Finance with issuing the implementing regulations in coordination with the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, noting that the Ministry of Finance would prepare the necessary draft legislation in due course.
These decrees shall enter into force on the first day of the month following their issuance, i.e., starting from July 1, 2025.
