President Klaus Iohannis argues that in recent months he had talked several times with Premier Victor Ponta about the dignitaries’ wages, on the latter’s initiative, showing that he cannot accept that “a Government jointly adopted a certain decision, then the Prime Minister intends to revert it.”
President Klaus Iohannis posted on Facebook on Friday a message saying that in recent months he has talked several times with the Prime Minister on the remuneration of dignitaries, adding that he could not accept that the head of the Executive to reconsider an adopted decision, showing lack of consistency in the governmental act.
“I cannot accept the idea that a Government jointly adopts a certain decision, then the Prime Minister intends to revert it. It would be lack of coherence of governance, which calls into question whether Romania has or does not have a functional government,” President Klaus Iohannis wrote on Facebook.
“In connection with the subject of officials’ salaries debated these days, I want things to be clear: in recent months, I have discussed the issue many times with the Prime Minister, on his own initiative. I subscribe to the idea that remuneration should reflect the dignitaries’ importance in the state and it is not possible for ministers to have lower incomes than their subordinates,” says Iohannis.
The President said that this is a matter of principle, but that he understands the reaction from people who want performance from the dignitaries. However, Iohannis believes that such a measure must be connected with rearranging the entire salary system. Klaus Iohannis says that the modalities for the realization of this principle are for the government and the parliament to be carried out.
PM Victor Ponta: Gov’t to postpone rise of dignitaries’ wages
The Government will postpone the rise of dignitaries’ salaries, PM Ponta said on Thursday night, claiming he didn’t agree to this rise. Ponta argued he knew that President Iohannis agreed to this measure, but that he heard the head of the Presidential Chancellery on TV resiling from this statement.
The head of the Presidential Chancellery Dan Mihalache told B1 TV that it was not President Iohannis who asked interim premier Gabriel Oprea to increase the salaries of the President, Prime Minister, Parliament speakers, Supreme Court head, intelligence services chiefs.
Shortly after Mihalache’s intervention, PM Ponta called and said “he is tired of sixpenny games for image”, adding the Government would postpone the rise if the Presidency’s official is resiling from it.
The premier informed that the Government would adopt an ordinance next week that will freeze the dignitaries’ wage rise until the new law on the budgetary unitary remuneration is approved. The law is expected to be brought into force at the end of this year the soonest.
Dan Mihalache stated that President Iohannis hadn’t asked Gabriel Oprea to adopt such a bill, explaining the president was only publicly expressing his view that dignitaries should benefit of remuneration appropriate to their importance within the state.
Questioned about off the record information on Iohannis asking the rise, the head of the Presidential Chancellery stated that “some parties are expert in providing off the record information in order to pass the responsibility.”
He also pointed out that Oprea informed Iohannis on this rise, but that the debate on this topic is older, as PM Ponta himself had sent a similar draft of the wage grid to the Presidency’s office in March.
PM Ponta promptly fired back.
“If Mr. Mihalache informed us that, in fact, I misunderstood and Mr. Iohannis didn’t know anything about the rise and moreover, he didn’t even approve it- although I saw Iohannis yesterday saying it’s a good idea-then we’ll increase the dignitaries’ salaries when we increase the wage of the other budgetary employees, by the Salary Law. I am not willing anymore to pocket these sixpenny games, when someone does something and then lays it into somebody else’s charge,” Ponta said.
Deputy PM Gabriel Oprea: The raising of dignitaries’ salaries was decided by Ponta and Iohannis
“The idea belonged to the Government and Victor Ponta,” Deputy PM Gabriel Oprea said on Friday, according to realitatea.net. “I know that Prime Minister Victor Ponta and President Klaus Iohannis have agreed in principle to the adoption of a legislative act to increase the dignitaries’ allowances in the context of discussions about raising wages. I worked with Minister of Labour and Minister of Finance, taking into account the principle of attracting competence and the fight against corruption. Of the 71 officials who were concerned by the draft ordinance only 48 were targeted in the end,” said Gabriel Oprea, according realitatea.net.
“I agreed with Prime Minister Victor Ponta, in front of the other ministers, to pass the ordinance, and to publish it in the Official Gazette, if supported by the President, or not to publish it if there is no support. If Victor Ponta will postpone the application of this ordinance, the decision is his right as prime minister. This is how things have happened, I tell you honestly,” Oprea added.
The salaries of the President, the Prime Minister, Parliament speakers, the heads of intelligence services will be increased starting August, according to a government ordinance adopted by the government on Wednesday. The highest salaries will go to the president, to the president of the High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ – Supreme Court), to the Prime Minister and to the speakers of the two chambers of parliament, announced the then acting Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea on Wednesday, stating that he takes responsibility for this increase. The increase was to be applied also to ministers.
More about the topic here: http://www.romaniajournal.ro/govt-to-increase-the-salaries-of-the-president-prime-minister-parliament-speakers-supreme-court-head-intelligence-services-chiefs-president-iohannis-a-wise-intent/