Hazem El-Beblawi, Egypt's deputy prime minister and minister of finance, proposed to the cabinet that the government set a wage ratio of 36 to1 between all top managerial positions in the public sector and regular employees.

Since it took office last March, the cabinet of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has promised to cap salaries for top government officials in order to fend off public criticism that managers are over-compensated.

Meanwhile, the cabinet confirmed that it has started implementing a LE 700 minimum wage for all government workers, and it plans to cover all employees by the end of 2011.

An administrative court order in 2008 mandated that the government set a minimum wage of LE1200 for all workers in order to provide poor Egyptians with a living wage.