Leader Urges Firm Action on Unconventional Salaries

“All organizations have a duty to show sensitivity to unconventional payments and deal with the cases of violation (of the law) decisively,” Ayatollah Khamenei wrote in a message on Saturday, in response to a letter from First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri.

In a letter sent to the Leader on June 14, Jahangiri had asked for instructions to have all Iranian organizations and bodies cooperate with the administration in dealing with the problem of astronomical salaries.

Elsewhere in the message, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that all bodies, even the Leader’s office itself, must observe the regulations passed by the administration and enforce them in their affiliate organizations.

Over the past weeks, cases of “astronomical salaries” earned by some senior managers have attracted a great deal of media attention and had a negative impact on public sentiment.

Imam Khamenei had already called for firm action to halt payment of astronomical salaries and punish the wrongdoers.

In a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani and his administration’s officials on June 22, Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the issue of inflated salaries, and said, “The issue of astronomic salaries is, in fact, an infringement upon values, but everyone must know that this issue is one of exceptions and most organs’ directors are clean-handed people, but even this few number is still very inappropriate and must be dealt with.”

“This issue must not be a matter of time. It must be seriously pursued and the public must be kept abreast of its result,” the Leader stressed.

“According to information I’ve received, most directors of organs have received reasonable pays and inflated salaries are related to a few number of managers, and even these few cases must be dealt with firmly,” Imam Khamenei added.