Iraq finance minister says public salaries fully guaranteed, no 45-day payment plan

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Finance Minister Faleh al-Sari said public sector salaries are fully guaranteed and that there is no plan to issue payments every 45 days. He said the monthly salary burden stands at roughly 7.7 trillion Iraqi dinars. Speaking at the ministry, al-Sari said officials are working to raise the lowest-grade retirement pensions and staff wages. He also said the ministry had identified significant bloat in its expenditures and is taking steps to trim costs, streamline spending and improve the efficiency of financial resource use. Al-Sari added that about 20 trillion dinars in receivables are owed to the Finance Ministry by other state entities, and that work is under way to settle those claims.