As expected, House and civil servants want handouts during a time of austerity: The Ismail cabinet has refused a request from the House Manpower Committee to give civil servants an additional 10% social welfare bonus on top of the 7% annual bump granted under the Civil Service Act, unnamed MPs tell Al Borsa. Articles 37 and 38 of the Act’s executive regulations stipulate a 7% annual raise for all civil servants and allows an additional 5% performance-based bonus for high-flyers. The regulations do not include the bonus, but Manpower Committee head Mohamed Wahaballah says that public and private sector employees alike have been granted a social welfare bonus since 1987. The newspaper’s sources say Cabinet is offering a total raise of 10% including the bonus. MPs reportedly held closed-door meetings with the finance, manpower, and public sector affairs ministers two weeks ago to discuss the issue. They have threatened to put the issue to a vote in parliament if the ministers do not respond to their demands by Wednesday.