UPPER HOUSE SUPPORTS PROPOSAL FOR REDUCING SALARIES OF STATE OFFICIALS

ZAGREB, Feb 22 (Hina) - The Croatian National Sabor's House of Counties on Tuesday gave a positive assessment of government proposals for reducing the salaries of state officials and judges. Regardless of their party membership, MPs agreed that difficult economic circumstances were dictating austerity at all levels, including the salaries of state officials. Representatives of the opposition Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) wanted to know why the Government had given up its initial proposal for reducing salaries by 40 per cent and why the number of ministries has increased. It seems, said HDZ's Ivan Brlekovic, that 'the outline of consistent inconsistency is becoming more and more visible'. The above-mentioned proposals, which would go into force on March 1, introduce the principle of tying state officials' salaries to the average salary in the country. The salaries of state officials will be calculated by multiplying the average monthly wage in the past year with an appropriate coefficient. For the President of the State, this coefficient amounts to seven; for Parliament President and Government members it amounts to six, etc. The proposals also suggest that state officials be allowed to take up again their posts on supervisory and managing boards of companies whose majority owner is the state, however without payment. Although it was initially announced that the salaries of judges would not be changed, the Government has decided to regulate those salaries the same way it regulates the salaries of state officials, tying them to coefficients ranging from two to six. First Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic said the proposals referred to some 2,400 judges and the salaries of only 156 of them would have to be reduced. Almost 94 per cent of judges will receive the same or even slightly increased salaries. (hina) mm rml