[ Thread on #Libya wage bill ]
One paradox this year in #Libya has been the fact that the #CentralBankOfLibya has handed #Haftar & others in the #East some very substantial gifts over recent weeks—all in the form of salaries.
Most of it is counterintuitive, so let me parse it.
As of 2010, less than 1 million public servants in #Libya were on state payroll.
By 2014, that statistic had exceeded 1.8mm. All of this was before the Karama-vs.-Fajr civil war.
A watershed moment was the autumn 2014 emergence of a parallel govt in #Barqa. More would be hired.
The CBL never quit paying the Eastern-based Libyans who were already on payroll in 2014. But ignored those newly hired by the East.
As of 2020, the total nbr of public servants in #Libya stood at about 2.4mm.
That is a jump of ~600k employees added btwn 2014 & 2021 nationwide.
Out of the 600k above, a majority of ~400k individuals were hired by #Haftar, #Theni & Co. (not just in Barqa, but also in Zintan, etc.).
On top of these new #hires, the eastern authorities gave #raises to ~300k existing civil servants in various areas (Barqa, Zintan, Fezzan…).
In Jun 2021, #Tripoli started paying all Eastern-hired employees hired after 2014.
#Tripoli also began paying all the raises that had been granted by the East after 2014.
This move to unify entire payroll into 1 national salary system is important but has been seldom discussed.
Now, there’s talk the HoR might take away its confidence from PM Dabaiba. Haftar & Aqilah may even form a new Eastern govt this summer/autumn.
Will the #CBL retaliate by interrupting payment of all the salaries mentioned above?
No.
Kabir is unlikely to change the current setup
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