“We’re struggling to survive.”
A decision from regional officials in Tigray obliging civil servants and bank employees to give up a fifth of their earnings to bankroll assistance to displaced persons and other regional priorities has drawn fierce criticism from citizens who say their salaries are already being withheld.
A directive issued by the Tigray Interim Administration (TIA) compels the region’s workforce to forgo 20 percent of their monthly earnings as a form of tax that officials say will be levied over the coming four months.
The directive, framed by the administration as a necessary measure in rebuilding the war-torn region, has sparked concerns over consent, legality, and workers’ rights.
From The Reporter Magazine
One civil servant who spoke openly about the situation said:
“What is said is true. But now, in the Tigray region, workers’ salaries have been withheld. We are not being paid. The interim administration has been unable to pay us for a long time. We are working without being paid. We have been told that 20 percent of our unpaid work will be cut without our consent. I am the head of a family and I cannot agree to it if my salary is cut. But what is the point? I have no energy. No one asked me for my consent. Life here is difficult; we are struggling to survive.”
He called on the federal government to intervene.
From The Reporter Magazine
Another public employee, a widow raising four children who spoke anonymously, expressed her frustration.
“I live in chaos. My husband died in the war. I am now a civil servant, but with this newly imposed 20 percent deduction on my salary, it is impossible to survive. I cannot feed my children and pay for basic needs. This tax is crushing families like mine,” she told The Reporter.
Efforts to reach TIA officials for comment were unsuccessful.
However, legal experts point out that the Labor Proclamation grants citizens protection from taxation without consent.
They observe the salary deduction in Tigray illustrates the delicate balance between urgent regional needs and the protection of workers’ rights. While authorities frame the measure as a temporary solution for displaced persons and fiscal shortfalls, it raises serious legal, economic, and social concerns.
Civil servants and bank employees, already struggling with unpaid wages, are being asked to bear a burden without consent, highlighting a gap in governance and labor protections. Experts say the move could violate Ethiopia’s labor law, undermine employee morale, and deepen financial hardship for vulnerable households.
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