Kuwaitis receive pay increase to combat soaring inflation

Kuwait City: All Kuwaiti employees in private and public sectors will get a fixed salary increase of 120 dinars (Dh1,600) starting next month. Expatriates working in the public sector will get a hike of 50 dinars (Dh670).

Minister of Finance Mustafa Al Shamali announced the increase after a cabinet meeting to finalise the issue. Al Shamali said that Kuwaiti beneficiaries of the hike include retirees and citizens receiving pensions and social aid.

The increase will not be added to basic pay, said Shamali, apparently in order not to overburden the state pension agency.

A statement called the raise a "cost of living allowance" and a measure to face "the abnormal increase in prices of consumer goods."

Meanwhile, several MPs have described the increment as "disappointing". MP Saadoun Al Hammad said that he expected "no less than 200 dinars" and that the hike would not do anything for a Kuwaiti citizen in face of the increase in living costs. He also affirmed that the parliament will demand a further increase of 50 dinars.

Kuwaitis have been demanding an increment following an ongoing increase in living costs as well as a inflation rate hitting a 15-year high. MPs have echoed the nation's concerns in the National Assembly.

Laila Ali is a journalist based in Kuwait