Salary increases for deputies, senators, local government officials, members of the government and the president are to be blocked. This is envisaged in the draft bill of the Civic Coalition, which was published on Tuesday. According to the club, “responsible policy should focus on solutions that primarily improve the safety and quality of life of citizens”.
It is about an MP’s bill amending the act on remuneration of state executives and certain other acts. The draft – as we read – concerns “freezing the amount of remuneration of people holding state management positions, deputies and senators, councilors and people holding high positions in local government units”.
The representative of the applicants is Borys Budka. As we read on the pages of the Sejm, on Tuesday the draft was sent to the opinion of the Legislative Office of the Chancellery of the Sejm and the Sejm Analysis Bureau.
Wage increases – objection by KO
On Friday, the Presidential Regulation was published in the Journal of Laws, which introduced increases, among others, from 1 August. for the prime minister, marshals of the Sejm and Senate and other persons holding managerial positions in the state, including undersecretaries of state (deputy ministers). Thanks to the regulation, the salaries of parliamentarians also increased, because – in accordance with the Act on the performance of the mandate of a deputy and senator – their salary corresponds to 80 percent. the salary of the Undersecretary of State, excluding the length of service allowance. According to the regulation signed by the president, the prime minister and marshals would earn over 20,000. PLN per month, and deputies and senators instead of PLN 8016.07 – approx. 12.5 thousand. zloty.
In turn, on Monday PiS has submitted a bill to the Sejm, which is to increase the remuneration of the President of the Republic of Poland and local government officials.
The Civic Coalition is opposed to the planned increases. Its draft provides for the reduction of salaries to the level in force before the entry into force of the regulation. In addition, it was proposed to maintain the amount of these salaries at the same level until the end of 2023.
The draft is also to ensure that the salaries of the president, former presidents, councilors and people holding high positions in local government units will not be increased until December 31, 2023.
In the opinion of KO deputies, “responsible policy should focus on solutions concerning first of all improving the safety and quality of life of citizens, and not awarding a raise to a relatively small group of people occupying leading state positions”. As indicated in the explanatory memorandum, the funds allocated to the increases “could be used in a much more justified and useful way”. Here, among others, promoting vaccinations against COVID-19 and improving the work of medical personnel.
The act is to enter into force 14 days after its announcement.
Act blocking increases – Donald Tusk comments
The project is the result of the Monday meeting of the KO club authorities with the Platform leader Donald Tusk. Jan Grabiec, PO spokesman, emphasized on Monday that the decision to submit the bill was made unanimously. – We believe that at this moment, at the moment and at that time, awarding raises on this scale is completely unfair and unacceptable – said Grabiec. He added that in a situation where “taxes are to rise and prices are rampant,” granting selectively to politicians “40-60 percent of the increases is simply unfair.”
The PO leader Donald Tusk also took part in the meeting of the KO club authorities. “I would like to thank the authorities of the Koalicja Obywatelska Club for their unanimous decision on the bill blocking pay rises for politicians,” Tusk wrote on Twitter.
Main photo source: PAP / Marcin Obara