(MENAFN- Jordan Times) AMMAN - The Lower House on Monday endorsed an amended version of the Civil Service Retirement Law which it previously rejected after disagreement with senators on salaries of MPs and government officials.
The Senate has recently referred the 2019 amendments to the Lower House after rejecting MPs' suggestion to make lawmakers' basic salaries equal to those of ministers.
The senators argued that such decisions are more of regulatory nature belonging to the budget and the regulations for public sector structure rather than the retirement law.
Senators also cited the differences in the nature and duties of the work of ministers and that of lawmakers, since ministers cannot be involved in the private sector while in office, unlike lawmakers, who are only prohibited from engaging in contracts with the government through their private ventures.
Also during Monday's session, MPs referred the amended agreement for the rehabilitation, expansion, and operation of Queen Alia International Airport to the Public Services and Transport Committee for examination, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The decision followed heated debate among deputies.
Acknowledging that the agreement with is an example of the "successful partnership" between the public and private sectors, generating around JD100 million annually to the Treasury," some MPs were skeptic of the government's decision to extend the agreement five years prior to its expiry.
Other deputies called for increasing the government's share to more than 50 per cent, arguing that "90 percent of airport management is carried out by security agencies and employees of Royal Jordanian Airlines, while the company that runs the airport only does 10 per cent of such works yet owns51 per cent of the airport.
State Minister for Legal Affairs Nancy Namrouqa said that the agreement was signed in May 2007 for a duration of 25 years and was only extended for five years to end in 2037 instead of 2032.
Namrouqa pointed out the justifications for extending the agreement, including airport closures and disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as financial disputes between the investor and the government, which have been settled to avoid any financial claims.
"The investor is obligated to expand facilities and increase the number of gates to accommodate increasing visitor numbers," she added.
Prime Minister Bishrt Khasawneh said that the proposed amendments to serve the public interest of the state, Treasury, and Queen Alia International Airport, "which represents a success story of partnership between the public and private sectors".
MENAFN11032024000028011005ID1107964355
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.