Town meeting will discuss in its next banquet how to approach an improvement in remuneration in the Armed Forces in the parliamentary negotiationa “hierarchization” that is in the interest of the party to reduce the gap between military salaries and those of an administrative officer in the Central Administration.
The Defense Minister, Javier García, told the Budget Committee integrated with the Treasury that “increases were granted in all budget instances” and that the difference between the entry salary of a first class soldier with a C1 administrative went from 36% at the beginning of the period to 23% for this 2023.
“The decrease (of the gap) was 13%,” said the chief, alleging that said The remuneration of a first class soldier went from $23,020 upon assuming the government to $32,557 for this year.
García listed items in the National Budget ($224 million for junior staff, $169 million for reinforcement for border patrol and $130 million as of 2022 for senior and junior staff), in the 2021 rendering of accounts for as of 2023 continue the salary increase process ($928 million) plus compensation starting at $270 million for night shifts for military personnel.
“These increases, which have already been regulated, have allowed us to grant, as of January 2023, special increases from the hierarchy of first class soldier to captain, for an amount of $2,431 to $2,321 respectively, that is, percentage increases real that go from 3% to 12%. 12% corresponds to a first class soldier and so on until reaching 3% for the rank of captain,” he said.
“In the period 2020-2022 we have allocated $1,871,000,000 -at 2022 values- to grant salary increases to the personnel of the Ministry of National Defense, focusing efforts on the remuneration of the most submerged ranks of military personnel”he concluded.
In her turn, the deputy lobbyist Nazmi Camargo maintained that she was “struck” by not seeing “anything referring to that salary increase” through which the “hierarchization of the Armed Forces” is achieved. “Although the income improved a lot, when They assumed there was a 36% difference in relation to the lowest-paid government official, and even today there is a 23% difference. So It really strikes me that in this last surrender, which would almost be the last opportunity for an increase, nothing comes in that sense”he pointed.
The minister agreed: “Is it enough, Madam Deputy? No, it’s not enough. You always aspire for more. It is also true that we are part of a five-party government and we have very important claims; we have faced unexpected supervening circumstances (…) Obviously we cannot deny this reality. (…) Is Garcia satisfied? No, I am not satisfied, but I have a responsibility and it is to integrate a government –which also integrates your party–, and among the ministers we reached a message agreed upon and signed by all. (…) I’ll have more opportunities.”
The lobbyist Camargo took the floor again and stated: “Now comes the legislative stage, so I would like to know if there would be the support of the Ministry if something could be found here that could increase that salary.”.
The minister, an experienced legislator, limited himself to responding: “If I answered what I am going to do, you could tell me: “Don’t get involved because you are not a legislator”, and you would do very well. So, old monkey, don’t get on the stick soaping”.
Deputy Camargo told The Observer that The party will talk at the next bench meeting “what proposal to make in this regard”, in order to “see if we can achieve that salary increase in the Deputies or in the Senate”.
With a legislative treatment that has just started in the lower house, from the National Party they glimpse that the interest of the Cabildo in deepening the salary hierarchy of military personnel will be one of the issues to be articulated when the political conversations between legislators of the coalition begin.
