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Highest wage rate applied to President and Prime Minister. Starting New Year, both will be making €5,200 a month.
State tops get wage rise
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Starting New Year, civil servants’ new salary systems kicks into full gear, awarding government ministers, chancellors and many other top state officials a wage rise exceeding 20 per cent.
Even with high civil servants’ salary act signed off in 2009, since last year it only applies to Riigikogu members, from this July also to all judges.
Pointing to lack of money, the rest of the act has repeatedly been postponed. Last fall, finance minister Jürgen Ligi said the act, entering into force, would award most top civil servants a 21 per cent wage rise, on average; this would bite claim €3.3m off the budget. Back then, the government deemed such wage rise an impossibility.
In 2014 draft budget, however, the wage rise is already featured. According to finance ministry press secretary, next year, wage rise for President, Prime Minister, other ministers, chancellors, Auditor General, Chancellor of Justice, State Secretary, Public Conciliator, and gender equality and equal treatment commissioner will total €375,450.
«Additional costs for salaries of judges, Supreme Court judges included, on top of wage rise applied since July this year, is €1.67m,» said the press secretary.
As the Salaries Act enters into force, high-ranking public officials’ salaries will no longer be calculated according to average wages but according to wage rate, multiplied by a certain coefficient. Pursuant to the Act, the highest wage rate is €5,200.
Every year, the wage rate shall be indexed with an index, the value of which shall be 50 per cent of arithmetic mean of increase of consumer price index and social tax revenue. Wages of Riigikogu members started to be indexed starting this spring already; to other civil servants, indexation shall apply starting April 2015.
Thus, President of the Riigikogu already receives indexed wages of €5,346. Wages of Vice-Presidents of the Riigikogu and chairmen of committees and factions is €4,544, vice-chairmen of committees and factions earn €4,009 and rank and file Riigikogu members €3,475 a month. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court makes, starting mid-year, €5,200. Supreme Court members earn €4,420, District Court judges €3,900 and County and Administrative courts’ judges €3,380.
Of other high-ranking public servants, President and Prime Minister will be earning more starting New Year; their salary coefficients being 1.0, monthly wages thus amounting to €5,200. Wages for Auditor General, Chancellor of Justice, ministers and State Secretary are €4,420; €2,860 for Public Conciliator and equal treatment commissioner. Chairman of Eesti Pank will be receiving €1,820 and members of the council €1,300.
In addition to salaries of high-ranking public servants, the Act affects occupational pensions of parliament members linked to Member of Riigikogu wages, as well as other occupational pension linked to wages listed in the Act.