Syria: Scores of public workers resign due to low wages

Scores of public sector employees in Syria have resigned due to poor wages that do not meet their basic needs, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.

According to the paper, the province of As-Suwayda recently recorded 400 resignations.

The Syrian citizens’ purchasing power has decreased greatly in regime-controlled areas, due to the significant drop in the exchange rate of the Syria lira against the US dollar.

According to the latest exchange rates, $1 is equivalent to 9,000 liras, bringing the average monthly salary of public sector employees to about $15. Last year, the exchange rate of the lira was about 4,000 lira to the dollar.

The paper quoted the head of the As-Suwayda Workers Union, Hani Ayoub, warning that the mass resignations and requests for retirement may leave the public sector without sufficient workers.

The regions controlled by the Syrian regime also suffer from a shortage of oil derivatives, a rise in poverty rates to 90 per cent, a halt in production, and the inability to provide electricity except for a few hours.

READ: Syria war has cost $650bn, poverty rate hits 90%