Duque signs at Christmas the decree that increases the salary of congressmen: they go from earning $ 32.7 million to $ 34.4 million a month

This December 24, while Colombians were celebrating Christmas, Decree 1779 of 2020 was issued from the Presidency, in which an increase in the salary of congressmen in Colombia of 5.12% is made.

This means that from next year the monthly allocation of the members of the Congress of the Republic will go from $ 32.7 million to $ 34.4 million, an increase of about $ 1,700,000.

Pasture: There are already 288 people burned with gunpowder, according to a report from the National Institute of Health

The decree is signed by President Iván Duque and the Minister of Finance, Alberto Carrasquilla. In July this year, it was reported in various media that the salary increase for congressmen would be frozen due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Several congressmen assured at the time that increasing the salary of congressmen in the midst of the pandemic sent a bad message to Colombians.

“This is a terrible example that occurs every year, especially in a pandemic and even worse in a virtual Congress when the entire Colombian society is going out to work. It is clearly unacceptable, this is a terrible example that Congress is giving the country”, Katherine Miranda, the representative to the Bogota Chamber of the Green Alliance Party, told Dinero Magazine in July.

See here the decree:

The Presidency also decreed a salary increase for workers in Congress

The basic monthly allowance scale for employees of the Senate of the Republic and the House of Representatives was as follows:

Grade 1: 2,529,464

Grade 2: 2,715,386

3rd grade: 2,920,200

Grade 4: 3,531,376

Grade 5: 4,239,030

Grade 6: 4,999,585

Grade 7: 5,485,840

Grade 8: 6,153,276

Grade 9: 6,287,487

Grade10: 6,840,926

Grade 11: 6,977,120

Grade 12: 9,840,919

These salaries compared to last year, correspond to a 13% increase in the salary of all employees of the Congress of the RepublicAmong them are the general secretaries of both legislative corporations, who in fact earn much more.

Secretary General of the Senate of the Republic grade 14 and secretary general of the House of Representatives grade 14, will accrue as a basic monthly allowance the amount equivalent to seventeen million nine hundred eighty-nine thousand eighty-nine pesos ($ 17,989,089) monthly.

But in addition, the decree establishes that “The general secretaries of both corporations will have the right to receive a monthly management premium, equivalent to two million one hundred seven thousand eight hundred sixty-two pesos ($ 2,107,862)”. So in reality the total salary of these two officials would be $ 20,096,951 per month.

Like the secretaries, the administrative general directors of the Senate and House of Representatives will earn $ 17,989,089 per month, however, the management premium is $ 1,725,445, so the salary rises to $ 19,714,534.

The decree indicates that the increase does not cover the people who are part of the legislative work units (UTL) of the different Senators and Representatives to the House, nor to Congressmen who earn more than 33 million pesos per month.

While these congressional officials have already received the salary increase after a difficult year for the Colombian economy, President Iván Duque has until December 30 to define the increase in the minimum wage that could be between 3.5% and 4.2% something like $ 28,984 and $ 34,780 per month.

This is the decree:

The millionaire salary that congressmen will earn in Colombia during the three months that they will leave session

Senator Gustavo Bolívar pointed out on his Twitter account that in those three months they will be paid more than 100 million pesos for not attending Congress.

Pasture: Tragedy at Christmas: nurse died after being hit by a drunk driver in Bucaramanga

“Today we Congressmen are going on vacation for 3 months. They will pay us more than 100 million without going. All an infamy towards a country that suffers unemployment and hunger derived from the pandemic and a bad government. In this video I propose a solution to that injustice “Bolívar wrote.

In addition, in a video, the parliamentarian pointed out that for the 2022 legislative elections, Colombians must demand that their candidates pass a law so that congressmen are paid for sessions.