Petro, Uribe and Humberto de la Calle react to increase in salary of congressmen – Congress – Politics

After the Presidency issued Decree 1779 of 2020, this December 24, which determines the increase in the salary of congressmen in Colombia by 5.12%, that is to say, that from next year the monthly allocation of members of Congress of the Republic will go from $ 32,741,000 to $ 34,417,000 pesos, various sectors have spoken.

(In context: They increase the salary of congressmen by 1.7 million pesos per month)

The senator of Human Colombia, Gustavo Petro, asked that, If the salaries of Congress rose by 5.3%, at least that same thing, the minimum wage must be raised.

This because the president also issued the decree in which they increase the salary of administrative employees of Congress.

From another ideological shore, former president Álvaro Uibe Vélez trilled: “Hopefully we can move forward with the referendum.” This was proposed by the former senator last month and one of the 13 points is the “decrease in the number of congressmen and freezing of wages.”

(In context: This is how Uribe is moving Uribe’s referendum proposal)

The former presidential candidate and former chief negotiator of the Havana accords, Humberto de la Calle, called this increase “unacceptable.”

“They can go to all kinds of technicalities, but it is unacceptable readjust the income of congressmen by 5% and only 2% the minimum wage. Congress must renounce the readjustment, “he declared on social media.

In addition, he asked for a “great virtual mobilization for Congress to renounce the readjustment.”

“Let’s make a great virtual mobilization so that Congress renounces the readjustment. And that our jurists begin a process of refunding the expenses of representation due to the absence of cause. Popular action,” he trilled.

(You may be interested in: Increase the salary of administrative employees of Congress)

For his part, the senator of the Decency List, Gustavo Bolívar, once again reaffirmed his proposal that parliamentarians be paid for each session they attend, as is the case in the Bogotá Council.

“# PagoPorSesión solves this injustice. Demand it from your candidates in 2022
55/86, “he trilled.

(Read the details: Bolívar’s proposal for congressmen to win for each session)

The Polo senator, Iván Cepeda, warned that, if the tutela action they presented in which they argue that the anti-corruption consultation did pass the threshold prospers, the salary of the congressmen would be reduced.

This action was presented after a debate on political control in the Senate in which Iván Cepeda denounced that having the Electoral Census been purged in 2018, “The threshold for the consultation would have been 11,247,723, and not 12’140,342 as was required. The Consultation exceeded the threshold by more than 427 thousand votes”

(In context: Iván Cepeda says that anti-corruption consultation did exceed the threshold)

Former Vice Minister Rafael Nieto, who sounds like one of the presidential candidates for the Democratic Center for 2022, assured that “it is ethically wrong and a very bad message that senior state officials, who already earn well, have a 5.2% increase in their salary”.

“It is not the congressmen who determine their salary, it is the Government. It has just announced that it will increase them by 5.2%. In reality, this increase is for all senior officials, magistrates, Prosecutor, Comptroller, etc.: their salary is equivalent to that of senators and representatives.“he trilled.

And he added: “That the salaries of the magistrates is equal to that of the congressmen is what explains that the Courts have always prevented reducing or freezing those of the congressmen. They would themselves be affected. For that, instead, they applaud the increases” .

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And he ruled that a “higher salary increase for senior officials goes against the austerity that should exist at this time.”

The senator of the Green Alliance, Angélica Lozano, pointed out that these two “Christmas decrees are unfair.”

“The decree that increases the salary of congressmen proves once again that the amount is disproportionate and alien to the reality of the Colombian worker. The increase formula is wrong, it enhances the gap, we have to change it and lower the salary of congressmen, “he said.

And in the face of the salary increase for the administrative employees of the Capitol, he assured: “The pending salary adjustment of the common employees of Congress, who work in the plant, whose salaries are low and deserve the legal adjustment … they hung an increase on the managers whose salary is similar to that of congressmen. ”

LUISA MERCADO
POLITICAL WRITING
Twitter: @LuisaMercadoD