The bill “for the ordering of additional remuneration to the basic wage for the public sector” has angered several labor unions, which ensure that the initiative is nothing more than a lethal blow against the collective labor agreements.
Sandra Piszk, who proposed the initiative, believes that the payment of the pluses is arbitrary. In some cases there are disparities of more than 100% in similar positions.
While the initiative seeks to establish a series of negotiations to put a stop to annuities paid in the public sector, it does not propose or promote wage freeze. It does not contemplate the single salary issue, it excludes the institutions in competition from the provisions and does not damage the acquired rights of public officials.
So what does it propose?
1. Establishing a rational and transparent system of additional remuneration to the basic salary (bonuses), through unified reasonableness, efficiency and equality criteria, to ensure strict compliance with corporate goals as the result of performance evaluations.
2. Setting the salaries based in the same criteria used to established the bonuses.
3. Establishing a maximum limit of 8 years of unemployment, as there are public servants who have received compensation equivalent to 20 years. This will apply for all officials except for the ones who are entitled to more than 8 years.
4. Not affecting in any way the right of servers to receive a greater benefit from the employer contribution to the solidarity association they belong to.
5. Establishing that exclusive dedication shall apply only to those servers with a position that requires so, and for full- time contracts to have a maximum term of one year, renewable automatically as required by the institution.
6. Not deeming exclusive dedication as an acquired right or a permanent benefit.
7. Revoking the 5867 law that grants the benefit to professionals (65%) and to non-professionals (25%). It would eliminate the payment to multiple officials and would pay 25% to high school graduates and 60% to college graduates or postgraduates.
8. Defining the percentage of personnel subject to availability regime according to the nature of each institution and fixed by means of a Technical Commission. Availability will pay up to 35% of the base salary.
9. Setting the payment for exclusive dedicating on a maximum of 15% of the base salary and only to those in positions whose duties involve dealing with emergencies or urgencies that necessarily require their participation.
10. Setting the payment of the public employees under the monthly modality, with fortnightly advance.
11. Fixing the annuity at a rate no greater than 2.54% of base salary. That amount is not established in the current Public Wages Act.
12. Reforming the Municipal Code so that the mayors maintain the political, administrative and financial autonomy conferred to them by the Political Constitution, but the salaries and benefits of their officials must be subject to the law.
According to Piszk, from 2010 to 2011 the salaries of the Central Government increased by 21.4% and 16.9% (in nominal terms) and the rest of the wages for the Public Sector increased 25.8% and 10.5% , respectively. In contrast, the private sector wages increased by 6.7% and 5.9% in the same period (also in nominal terms). 80% of the country’s workforce is in the private sector.