The public service and employment sector has undergone a series of reforms over the past six years aimed at modernizing the legal framework and improving working conditions, in line with the vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, to promote social justice and reinforce the rule of law.
These achievements included, among other things, the creation of thousands of job opportunities, raising the minimum wage, improving the conditions of retirees, establishing a National Council for Social Dialogue, and launching studies to review the legal and regulatory framework for human resources in order to enhance the performance of public service and make it more responsive to development and meet the needs of citizens.
The Director General of Labor at the Ministry of Public Function and Labor, Mr. Mohamed Ould Atfeyl, confirmed in an interview with the Mauritanian News Agency that the recent years of the mandate of His Excellency President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani have witnessed tangible improvements in the conditions of national workers, through the modernization of the legislative and regulatory framework of the labor sector.
It was pointed out that these improvements were made within the framework of amending the Labor Code during the years 2022 and 2024, which allowed for significant reforms, one of the most prominent being enabling working women to benefit from their full salary during maternity leave, without affecting their rights to social security.
He added that these amendments addressed the situation of workers in the event of illness or a non-professional accident, as the law guarantees them half of their salary for a period of up to six months. It also regulated night work for women to ensure their contribution to economic development while taking into account their specificities, in addition to raising the minimum wage by 50%, which primarily benefited the most vulnerable groups of workers.
He pointed out that these achievements also included the increase of family allowances for the children of workers, and the increase of allowances directed to the children of retirees under the age of 21 by 67%.
The Director General of Employment clarified that the sector has also worked on organizing the trade union organizations representing workers, by establishing a National Council for Social Dialogue, and launching a process to determine union representation to ensure effective and institutional participation in boards of directors and international forums.He added that the ministry is working this year on preparing national forums for social protection, alongside launching several studies related to updating the social security system and a new review of the minimum wage.He pointed out that a comprehensive study on occupational health and safety has been prepared, which enabled the establishment of a national policy in this area that has been approved, and a national day was organized around it with wide participation from economic and industrial actors.
He said that the ministry launched another study aimed at improving the conditions of labor inspectors, to enhance their role in protecting the rights of both workers and employers.
In this same context, the Director General of Public Service, Mr. Mohamed Saiid Ould Ab Ould Mohamed Saiid, confirmed that the first term of His Excellency the President of the Republic was marked by significant achievements in enhancing human resources, which included substantial salary increases for employees and contractual agents. Notable among these were a raise of 20,000 Ouguiya for all, a doubling of salaries for health workers, increases for higher education staff, and considerable raises for education sector workers, which included a distance allowance and a chalk allowance that is now paid throughout the year, and a management allowance, in addition to school directors benefiting from the chalk allowance.He noted the improvement of retirees’ conditions by doubling the main pension and paying it monthly instead of every three months. He added that the ministry implemented a wide-ranging program from 2021 to 2024, covering nearly 50.
And the agent, through organizing courses in collaboration with the National School of Administration, Journalism, and Judiciary.
He stated that the first term of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazouani, witnessed the recruitment of more than 20,000 employees, in addition to the job opportunities that were created at the beginning of the current term, during which 560 individuals were recruited for the Ministry of Health, with preparations currently underway to recruit 3,000 new employees in the public service.
He added that the sector is working on implementing a plan to train 1,000 employees in short-term courses during this year, alongside preparing a comprehensive diagnosis of human resources, which will lead to a long-term national program that responds to the real needs in the field of training and developing competencies.
He indicated that the sector is currently working on preparing a study that has reached its final stages aimed at improving retirement pensions, in addition to a comprehensive review of the legal and regulatory framework for human resources, including the basic system for employees and contractual agents to enhance the performance of the public service and make it more in line with development and meet the needs of citizens
