Saudi monarch King Salman bin Abdul Aziz issued a royal order on Tuesday to re-pay the annual allowance with its previous status and procedures, according to sources in the local newspaper "Sabd".
According to the newspaper sources, the approval of King Salman was issued "according to what the Finance Committee, headed by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister, to restore the annual allowance paid by the previous status."
The royal decree, according to circular circulated in the Saudi media, cancels previous governmental procedures, restricting the annual allowance for employees of the Kingdom working in the public sector, and ordering the payment in accordance with the previous procedures.
The circular showed the King's decision to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and all government ministries and state institutions, and stipulated that "the annual allowance should be re-issued with its previous status and procedures."
There was no detailed explanation from the Ministry of Finance on the new decision, and whether it also affects the date of the annual allowance disbursement that was linked to the Gregorian date at the last disbursement after it was tied to contracts at the beginning of the Hijri year.
In May, the Saudi cabinet decided to make amendments to the civil service regulations on incentives, bonuses and promotions for public sector employees, including linking the annual bonus to the employee's performance rather than granting it annually without evaluation.
The new amendments, which were to be implemented early next year, included a new methodology for linking the material incentives, the most important of which is the annual bonus and promotions at the level of job performance, with the aim of "creating an atmosphere of competition among the general staff and raising the efficiency of expenditure."
The annual premium for government employees in the Kingdom ranges from 135 riyals to 865 riyals, which were added to their salaries at the beginning of every Hijri year, before the date of their delivery was transferred to the Gregorian calendar. Some 1.5 million employees received their salaries in January.