The Ibizan Toni Costa, deputy and spokesman of the PP in Parliament, last week asked the Govern to freeze the salary of its senior officials and its 200 advisers after learning that the budgets of the Balearic Executive for 2023 provide that their remuneration incorporate the salary increase of civil servants, ie, an increase of 2.5%. For example, the president of the Government, Francina Armengol, will receive 73,311 euros, about 3,000 euros more than in 2022. Costa put Vicent Marí, president of the Consell de Ibiza and the island’s PP, as the example that Armengol and her councilors should follow, having “frozen for three consecutive years” the amount he receives for being at the head of the island institution. In his opinion, “it would be a gesture to the citizens” that few others on Ibiza can give. Not even in his party.

Both the president of the Consell and his entire government team (including positions of trust) were given “the 0.9% increase from 2019 to 2020”. Since then, after the covid health crisis and now the one derived from inflation and the war in Ukraine, they have not enjoyed any further increase: “Salaries are frozen,” stresses a spokesman for the institution. Vicent Marí’s salary has not changed since 2020: 61,614.92 euros gross per year. In addition, “he does not receive any supplementary amount for attendance at plenary sessions or compensation for leaving office”.

Rafa Ruiz Rafa Ruiz, Mayor of Ibiza | FSE-PSOE

There are only two other administrations in the Pitiusas that follow his example: Sant Josep (where PSOE and Unidas Podemos govern) and Sant Antoni (PP). In Sant Josep, “all the elected and free-designated positions have had their salaries frozen all this term and neither the increase allowed by the State has been applied due to the successive crises that have been suffered. Nor for 2023,” says a municipal spokesman. The mayor, Ángel Luis Guerrero, has been paid 54,000 euros since he took office, the same as the previous mayor, Josep Marí Ribas, Agustinet, now Balearic Minister of Housing, as reflected in the data of the Salary Information of Positions in the Administration (ISPA), prepared by the Secretary of State for Public Administration, belonging to the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration. In Sant Antoni, it is the same. The mayor, Marcos Serra, has had a gross annual salary of 55,000 euros since the beginning of the legislature: “There have been no increases and there will be none in 2023”, according to the Consistory.

For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.