6% plus step and about 10% on housing should just about put us back where we were 2 years ago. Inflation in Dubai is heading upwards again, whatever the "official" figures say.
The "step" is not a pay rise, although they try to sell it as such. It is an acknowledgement that experience still means something, it encourages people to stay in the company and should be paid every year regardless of what inflation is doing. It is not supposed to help cover the cost of living increases year to year.