Minister Katz will soon present his proposal for government approval, which also includes not updating wages this year • Expected savings: NIS 70 million per year • More in the plan: assistance for discharged soldiers and extension of the "preferred work" period
"Our personal example as elected officials is especially important at this time."
Minister Katz
Photography:
Oren Ben Hakon
The public sector enters under the stretcher
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Yesterday, the Ministry of Finance distributed to the public a memorandum of law to reduce the salaries of officers, which proposes that there be a 10% reduction in the salaries of officers above the salary of an MK (about NIS 44,000) and more. The reduction is estimated at NIS 70 million.
According to the law memorandum, the reduction is expected to apply to the president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, ministers, deputy ministers, judges, judges, the state comptroller, the governor of the Bank of Israel and another, mayors and deputies and mayors, as part of a temporary order until the end of 2021 The reduction is expected to apply to about 1,000 officers.
It is further proposed in the memorandum of law that no salary update be made for officers resulting from the increase in the average wage in the economy.
This is because during the crisis the average wage is expected to increase, but not for the desired reasons, but due to the extensive layoffs, which mainly affected low-income earners.
The memorandum of law circulated for public comment will be submitted to the government for approval in ten days, so that the Knesset can approve the bill as soon as possible.
"Solidarity is required"
Finance Minister Israel Katz said: "When I took office as finance minister, I decided to cut 10% of my salary. From a personal example, I initiated the salary reduction to other officials, including ministers and deputy ministers, Knesset members, judges and judges. I also initiated a correction. "We will congratulate all those who joined the initiative and cut his salary and the members of the government who unanimously supported the government decision. Our personal example as elected officials is always important, especially at this time." .
Meanwhile, at the request of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance has formulated a package of assistance for discharged soldiers released during 2020, in order to facilitate their transition to citizenship during the Corona period.
The assistance package will include increasing the release grant for each soldier by NIS 1,500.
About 75,000 soldiers are expected to receive the grant.
This grant, in combination with the supplement of NIS 500 already given to the grant, will set the total supplement to the soldiers' release grant at NIS 2,000.
In addition, the preferential work period will be extended so that discharged soldiers, who were discharged in 2019 and 2020 and began to perform preferential work, can work in preferred work for a longer period, so that the employment effects of the corona and closures will affect those discharged soldiers as little as possible To the preferred work grant.