Employees of Scientific Research Centers between employment challenges, institutional changes

The crisis facing employees of the civilian departments affiliated with the Scientific Research Center in Syria continues, amid the absence of a decision settling their employment status or clarifying their future.

In statements to our agency in Damascus, the employees said that the continuation of their employment status without receiving salaries or being granted a document proving the termination of their employment relationship prevents them from obtaining other job opportunities, at a time when many of them are unable to meet their families’ basic needs.

The employees explained that the accusations directed against them are related to their work at the Scientific Research Center, while stressing that they worked in civilian departments involved in producing materials used to combat pests, insects, rodents, and stray dogs, in addition to materials required by laboratories, factories, and agricultural pharmacies.

According to statements from employees, the center comprises five research institutes and five specialized centers, in addition to branches and field and production centers distributed across several Syrian governorates, including Jaramana and Barzeh in Damascus, Al-Safira in Aleppo, Homs, and Hama.

One of the employees, a doctor and engineer who preferred not to disclose his name, said that the value of his unpaid salaries and compensation since 2024 had reached 150 million old Syrian pounds. He noted that he had become unemployed despite attempting to apply for positions at private companies, which require him to provide a “not employed” certificate one that he is unable to obtain.

He called for consideration to be given to the circumstances of the employees and their families, noting that some families had become unable to secure their basic needs, while some employees had been forced to sell bread in order to provide food for their children.

Employee Mohammad Hussein questioned the reasons for preventing them from working and providing for their families, pointing out that the center’s employees are specialists in scientific fields and that joining the center required exceptionally high grades in mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

Hussein said that the continued suspension of salaries and the prevention of employees from obtaining a “not employed” certificate or engaging in other work, in addition to restrictions imposed on travel, had placed them in a suspended employment and legal status. He called for anyone proven to have violated the law to be held accountable, while those against whom no violation had been established should not be punished.

For his part, Hammam Jawad said that he had visited the center several times to submit his resignation, but had been unable to finalize his employment status. He noted that they receive no salaries while simultaneously being prohibited from working for other entities.

He explained that among the reasons raised regarding the employees was the center’s affiliation with the Ministry of Defense, despite the fact that the employees in the departments where they worked were civilians. He noted that the status of other civilian facilities had been settled and that they had been transferred to the Sovereign Fund, while employees in these departments continue to be deprived of basic employment rights, including the “not employed” certificate.

He added that the abolition of the center should have been accompanied by clear decisions concerning the employees, whether by dismissing them and paying their compensation, transferring them to other entities, or treating them as employees on leave and continuing to pay their salaries until their status was resolved.

Legal expert Moatasem Mohammad said that, under the rules protecting labor rights, employees have the right to have the relevant authorities make a clear decision regarding their status and that they should not be prevented from traveling or from obtaining a “not employed” certificate if they wish to work for another entity, while effective mechanisms for filing grievances should be provided.

He referred to the principles of the International Labour Organization’s Protection of Wages Convention No. 95 and Termination of Employment Convention No. 158, calling for the payment of overdue wages, the review of dismissal decisions through an independent mechanism, and guarantees that employees’ housing would not be withdrawn without a legal basis and fair procedures.

The International Center for Rights and Freedoms had documented, in a report published in October 2025, complaints concerning the interruption of wages for employees in civilian departments affiliated with the Scientific Research Center, dismissal decisions against some of them, and the withdrawal of official housing. The center called for the payment of overdue wages and an end to unjustified dismissal decisions.

According to the employees, the Constitutional Declaration stipulates that the state shall safeguard human rights and fundamental freedoms, equality among citizens before the law in terms of rights and duties, and equal opportunities. It also recognizes work as a right of citizens and obliges the state to provide fair conditions and equal opportunities for employment.

In a broader context, Bushra Zaidan, a former director of administrative affairs, said that, according to her, employees in state institutions are facing pressure to submit their resignations. She pointed to a division between long-serving employees and new staff, regardless of regions and sects, as well as the removal of a number of veteran employees from important or sensitive positions, including positions requiring technical expertise.

She added, in her words, that there are significant salary disparities between old and new employees. She noted that some new employees receive salaries starting at around US$700, compared with approximately US$120 for veteran employees appointed through official competitive examinations, in addition to differences in bonuses and compensation.

Bushra said that some long-serving employees avoid objecting to these conditions for fear of dismissal, while new employees rely on the old staff to carry out technical and specialized work.

For his part, administrative expert Ruslan Hammad said that the division within state institutions had, in his description, shifted from sectarian sorting that existed last year to a division between an old employee appointed under Law No. 50 and a new employee recently appointed by the new government.

He added that this situation had created a rift within institutions, noting that an old employee feels marginalized when he sees a new employee receiving a salary approximately six times higher than his own, while being excluded from some meetings and duties.

He warned that the continuation of these divisions and attempts to empty institutions of qualified personnel could affect their functioning. He noted that, in some cases, new employees are assigned administrative tasks related to coordination, monitoring attendance, and granting leave, while veteran staff carry out the technical and specialized work.

The Ministry of Administrative Development had announced during August of this year new stages of recruitment to fill vacancies in public institutions. Meanwhile, the Service Extension Committee, headed by Minister of Administrative Development Mohammad Hassan Al-Sakkaf, confirmed that its assessment of whether certain employees should continue working in public entities takes into account actual institutional needs, the scarcity of specialized expertise, and the importance of accumulated technical experience in ensuring continuity of work.

As of the date this report was prepared, no direct and specific government statement had been issued concerning the demands of employees in the civilian departments affiliated with the Scientific Research Center regarding suspended salaries, the “not employed” certificate, travel restrictions, or a mechanism for resolving their employment status.

ANHA