The Public Service draft law, soon to be passed by the Iraqi Parliament, has been widely criticized by trade union circles. Union sources reported that the draft stipulates that regular leave will be two days per month while maternity leave will be 42 days paid with an option to extend it for six months leave without pay.
The bill also reduces the days allowed for sick leave while stipulating strict criteria for the granting of such leave. The bill gives the Ministerial Council the prerogative to eliminate unnecessary jobs and to transfer officials between different ministries and departments. According to the same text, “surplus” employees are automatically retired if their services are no longer useful, while annual bonuses will no longer be granted without the approval and evaluation of the official's direct manager.
In addition, the draft law on the civil service gives the Ministerial Council the prerogative to elaborate a new salary grid without going through parliament, and it introduces the notion of 'legal dismissal of the civil servant'.
العربية 
English