ICE Employees Get Pay Raise
The Consejo Directivo del Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) - board of directors of the state telecom monopoly - yesterday approved a salary hike of between 1% and 30% for all its employees. The median average is of 10.5% and will go into effect tomorrow, according to a news release by the Institution.

ICE employees 12.000 and the increase approved by the board is in addition and separate from the 4% increase given to all public sector employees for this half of the year, which went into effect last January.

Public sector employees get two yearly raises, one for the first semester and one for the second.

In the lower catagory of labourers, technicians and miscellaneous employees, the salary hike is between 1% and 4%. The next catagory of employees will receive between 10% and 20%, while managers will receive a 30% salary hike.

The executive administrations of the institutions, including the division managers and president, are not included in the salary increase.

Geovanni Bonilla, a spokesperson for ICE, said it will cost the Institution ¢9 billion colones (us$17.3 million) more this year, which amount was included in the 2007 budget.

Bonilla pointed out that ICE employees have not had a salary increase since 2001 and that in some cases salaries were below market levels and the increase decision was based on a study done by the consulting firm, Price Waterhouse Coopers.

The study looked at salaries by ICE employees compared to salaries of similar job functions at other public institutions and private enterprise.

Bonilla added that the report had suggest a higher increase, an amount that the spokesperson did not disclose. However it was rejected by the ICE directors, who opted for a more "rational and proportional" increase, said Bonilla.