- The changes in the structure of the Government have led to an increase in the number of senior officials, which have increased expenditure. The Basque Government will have to pay EUR 1.5 million more than the previous year, as reported by the Basque Executive.
The Basque Journal has given the news on the basis of the data made public by the Basque Government in its latest bulletin. This year the Basque Government will pay EUR 19.1 million in salaries for senior officials, compared with EUR 17.6 million last year. The wage increase of public officials agreed for this year is reduced by 8.4%, representing 0.9% of the total.
Following last year’s elections to the Basque Parliament, the Basque Executive underwent a number of changes in the Autonomous Executive. The biggest was the doubling of the vice-presidency to equate the power of the two coalition government parties, with Josu Erkoreka (PNV) as first vice-president and Idoia Mendia (PSE-EE) as second vice-president. In addition to this, however, the changes made to the structure of senior officials have led to an increase in their number: The Basque Government has gone from 231 to 248 senior positions in the Basque administration. The senior officials of the Basque Government are Lehendakari, two Vice-Presidents, nine Directors, 39 Vice-Directors, 133 Directors, 12 Deputy Counsellor and 52 Directors.
According to the data obtained, the highest salary is that of lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu, which amounts to EUR 106,778 gross per year, in 14 pages. It is followed by the salaries of the Vice-Presidents (100,266), the salaries of the Vice-Members (95,184) and the salaries of the Vice-Members (86,143) and the salaries of the Temporary Members of the same level. The Diario Vasco stresses that all these salaries are higher than those of the President of the Spanish Government (85,608). A salary of EUR 73,547 per year is paid by persons holding the post of director or director and staff at their level.
In addition, the Basque Government has paid a supplement to the pension for the 63 senior officials who have retired because of the crisis. The measure entered into force in 1981 as a support measure for members of the pre-Civil War Government and the first regional governments near retirement age. Access to this aid was reduced in 2012 and is granted only to those already receiving it, to the new lehendakari and to those over 60 at the time of the change in the measure. In total, the Basque Government will allocate EUR 2.8 million to the former CAV and Navarra senior officials.