Abu Dhabi government staff's salary to be raised

Abu Dhabi: Salaries of Abu Dhabi government employees will be raised to achieve pay comparability between local government and private jobs, according to a decision.

General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, issued the decision in response to the growing need for pay reform in the local government.

The decision No. 16 of 2007 provides guidelines to achieve pay comparability between governmental and non-governmental jobs and attract highly qualified professionals to governmental departments.

Pay surveys suggested that relatively low government salaries may result in an adjustment in the employees attracted to government service, with the government on occasion having to accept employees with less experience and training than private firms would.

The move provides an across-the-board pay adjustment for all Emiratis and expatriate employees in local departments in Abu Dhabi.

The new salary scale will be announced soon, said Ali Al Kitbi, undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Civil Service Department.

It is part of the strategic development plan to upgrade government performance in the emirate with local departments becoming productivity units competing in performance with international best practices.

The new salary scale will eliminate bureaucracy and red-tape, making more than 40 allowances a single allowance.