Public Workers Get 6.9%
Raise
The 180.000 public
workers will be getting
a 6.9% pay raise
beginning with today's
pay, as the Comisión
Negociadora de los
Salarios Públicos
approved the raise.
The raise if for current
and retired government
workers, including
workers of state and
autonomous institutions
like ICE and the INS and members of the Poder Ejecutivo,
Legislativo and
Judicial, as well as
employees of the
Contraloría General de
la República and the
Defensoría de los
Habitantes.
The vice-minister of
Egresos, José Luis
Araya, said the raise
represents an additional
payout of ¢90 billion
colones by the
government.
The raise is for the
first half of 2009, the
raise for the second
half comes in July.
Union leaders had
calculated a 7.35%
raise. Édgar Morales,
secretario general
adjunto de la Asociación
Nacional de Empelados
Públicos y Privados said
that the government will
owe workers 0.45%.
At issue also is the
salary of central
goverment non
professional workers
which is far lower than
the workers of state and
autonomous institutions.
Unions say that central
government
non-professional
workers, like guards,
chauffeurs and general
workers, are earning
between 19% and 59.6%
less that workers for
the public institutions.
The government and
unions will be sitting
down on February 17 to
discuss the discord. |
