TALLINN — Despite the financial crisis, Tallinn’s city council voted to increase the salary of Vice Chairman Katrin Saks to 26,000 krooni (€1,661) on Thursday.
The vote more than doubles Saks’ original salary. Previously the vice chairman received a total monthly salary of 9,000 (€575). The council chair position also got a raise from 30,300 krooni (€1,930) to 43,400 krooni (€2,770).
Saks, a member of the Social Democratic Party, declined to comment about the raise when asked by Baltic Reports.
Toomas Vitsut, Tallinn city council chair and a Center Party member said that Saks’ original salary from the vice chair position, 3,000 krooni tacked on top of the 6,000 wage every member of the council gets, is lower than the country’s minimum wage and she deserves to get paid just as any other working person.
“Every working person has a right to get paid, so has Katrin Saks,” Vitsut told Baltic Reports. “Katrin Saks is also a taxpayer and she could also be screwed over because other workers get paid.”
The council was not united. Council member Martin Kukk of the Reform Party member said that he is surprised that during the better economic times the council managed without paying those larger salaries to the vice chair and chair.
“Now, when things are really bad and there is not enough money for the kindergarten, they suddenly find money to pay an enormous salary to Katrin Saks,” Kukk told Postimees.
I think this Sucks could have left the job if the salary was not good enough. This is so typical around here. Not enough money for basic security and social sector, and many salaries has cut, but these “idiots” can raise up own salaries with smiling eyes. How can people respect them or support political desicions after this?