Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Prime Minister Omar Razzaz Wednesday said that the relationship between professional associations and the government is a national interest that represents the rule of law and participatory in serving the country.

In a meeting with a number of professional associations' heads, Razzaz said "We are proud in the professional associations and the important role they play as they are a part of our social and civil fabric, and we agree and disagree under the umbrella of the law and the homeland that combines us all." He pointed out that among the first meetings that the government had conducted when it was first formed meetings with the professional associations.

On the government’s decision to withhold the implementation of the pay raise, of which the government had approved in late 2019, for the public sector employees until the end of 2020, Razzaz said that the government had to take the decision against the backof financial hardship and the challenges facing the public budget at that time.

The premier said that the government will hold talks with the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) to study the possibility of deferring loans that have been taken from banks during which the technical allowance raise had been in force, leading to the time it has been suspended due to the fallout of the pandemic, adding that the deferral would only be in place until the pay raise is reintroduced at the beginning of 2021.

Also discussed was the government’s plans to retire all public servants who have 28 years of service, Razzaz said that "in spite of the extra load in the public sector, we have asked the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) to adopt an assessment tool that would regulate the process of retiring public servants to prevent the loss of essential workers.