The Ministry of Finance today announced a package of measures to facilitate the payment of retirees’ salaries and ensure they receive their dues on time without delay.

This came during a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Mohammad Yassar Barnieh, attended by the Deputy Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, general managers of public banks, the Director General of Social Security, the Director General of Insurance and Pensions, the Director General of the Syrian Post Corporation, the Treasury Manager at the Central Bank of Syria, the Treasury Manager at the Ministry of Finance, and representatives of exchange and electronic payment companies.

The participants agreed on a set of organizational and service measures, such as scheduling salary transfers, transferring retirees’ salaries subject to the social security system from the 1st to the 5th of each month, and transferring retirees’ salaries subject to the insurance and pensions system from the 6th to the 10th of each month, with the possibility of withdrawing retirees’ balances throughout the month after the transfer to their accounts is executed.

The measures also included banking facilities, represented by raising the daily withdrawal limit from ATMs to 600,000 Syrian pounds, and accelerating network integration between public and private banks, money transfer companies, and Sham Cash to benefit from integrated exchange services.

The measures also included expanding payment points through POS devices in all banks and branches, raising the limit to one million Syrian pounds, prioritizing banking services for salary localization cards for retirees, and accelerating the study of providing new services for retirees through the possibility of transferring salaries to money transfer companies approved by the Central Bank of Syria, and the possibility of transferring salaries via Sham Cash service.

Coordination was also included with the Central Bank of Syria, the Public Post Corporation, and money transfer companies to expand service outlets by opening new offices for the Syrian Post Corporation to cover a wider area at the governorate level, and opening new offices for money transfer companies in several areas to ensure the delivery of salaries to retirees at their places of residence, and increasing official working hours.

Public banks and the Syrian Post Corporation were directed to increase working hours and adhere to shift schedules, including working extra hours and Saturdays during the salary payment period, with the possibility of working on Fridays for postal workers to ensure continuous service provision without interruption.

Earlier today, the Syrian Commercial Bank announced a new service enabling retirees to withdraw their financial dues using ATM cards issued by the bank, through the outlets of Al-Haram Pyramid Money Transfer Company.