Eighty-four years
after using the lunar-based Hijri calendar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on
October 1, switched to the "Western" Gregorian calendar for payment
of civil servants.
The kingdom founded
in 1932, is adopting the calendar in one of a number of financial reforms and
cost cutting measures announced by the oil-rich Kingdom at the weekly cabinet
meeting chaired by King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz.
Consequently, civil
servants will lose 11 days of payment as salary days are cut, bringing the
nation’s public sector in line with the way private sector employees are paid,
according to reports quoting Gulf News.
The Islamic lunar
calendar comprises of 12 months, each 29 or 30 days long depending on the
sighting of the moon, with the year usually 354 days long - 11 days shorter
than its Western equivalent.
Also, bonus
payments for state employees have been been cancelled, pay rise is suspended
and allowances curbed for public-sector employees.
Also, according to
royal decrees and a cabinet statement published by state media, ministers are
taking a 20 per cent salary slash, just as those of members of a legislative
body advising the monarchy have been cut by 15 per cent.
Also in view of the
fall in oil price, perks for senior officials were also scaled back, as the
government is no longer to provide cars for senior state officials for their
next financial year.
Beyond these
austerity measures, ministers will now pay fees for their fixed and mobile
phones at the start of the next Islamic year also as part of moves to reduce
the growing budget deficit arising from weak oil prices.
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