Posted on 06/11/2005 5:36:14 PM PDT by blam
EU is forced to reveal 'obscenely high' salaries
By Justin Stares in Brussels
(Filed: 12/06/2005)
Civil servants on the Brussels gravy train now earn £70,000 a year after tax. And that's just for starters. The European Commission, by instinct bashful about its generous perks and allowances, was forced to disclose the figure, and much more, in response to a written question from a Czech MEP.
The Commission admitted that its officials, who number nearly 20,500, are entitled to seven separate allowances over and above their pay, plus a generous pension scheme after just 10 years' service.
The average take-home pay of £70,000 is based on the income of an "A" grade Eurocrat - one who can draft new laws, for example - who is married with two children and in the middle of his or her career.
Chris Heaton-Harris, a Conservative MEP, described the figure as "obscenely high". He said: "They get paid too much for doing too little and most of that is done badly. They take Friday afternoons off and they get all the Belgian bank holidays. And what's more, they get extra money for having children."
Brussels admitted to the following family staff perks:
• Household allowance: two per cent of basic salary plus £100 a month.
• Dependent child allowance: £185 a month per child.
• Pre-education allowance: £11 a month.
• School fees: reimbursement of up to £150 a month "doubled in certain cases".
Eurocrats are also eligible for other allowances:
• Expatriation allowance:
16 per cent of the total sum of basic salary, household allowance and dependent child allowance.
• Secretarial allowances of between £77 and £120 a month.
• "Various" allowances - among them standby duty, shiftwork, overtime, for which values were not given.
Bureaucrats who are posted outside Brussels and Luxembourg are also eligible for an allowance known as a "correction coefficient". It compensates officials posted to cities with a high cost of living and rounds down salaries where life is cheaper than in Brussels or Luxembourg.
As a result, expatriate officials posted to Britain are entitled to a further 42 per cent on top of their basic deal.
The perks don't stop there. At the end of their careers, pensioners can expect £3,681 a month for the rest of their lives - at a total cost to the taxpayer of £303 million last year.
What's more, in return for adhering to the EU's mantra of "ever closer union", the bureaucrats know they will never willingly be let go.
There has never been a round of redundancies at the Commission and under-performing employees are often promoted because the bureaucracy involved in firing them is too onerous.
Ain't lawyers grand?
From all according to their abilities, to those few with great needs... or something like that.
They decided to raise their salaries now ... before they go out of business.
They even have their own schools:
http://europa.eu.int/epso/working/career/careers_en.htm
"Career prospects and conditions"
"Career prospects in the EU Institutions are good. Staff become eligible for promotion, on the basis of merit and seniority."
"The most dynamic and motivated "A" category officials have the possibility of reaching the highest levels."
"B, C and D category staff can apply for advancement to the next category, after a certain period of service in their existing category, by taking an internal competition. It is also possible, if they have the qualifications necessary, to sit an external competition."
"Throughout the career structure, there are possibilities for self-improvement in terms of in-house courses to acquire new language, management and communications skills."
"An important element in determining advancement is the system of periodical evaluation, which is carried out for each member of EU staff. These will be take place under the authority of the Head of the Unit or Division to which you belong. Recommendations for advancement are made on the basis of performance and seniority."
"Staff working for the Institutions of the European Union enjoy a good standard of living. Salaries depend on your personal circumstances and whether you have left your Member State to take up employment with one of the Institutions. Officials pay a Community tax and deductions are also made for medical insurance and pensions."
"Staff receive child allowances for their children. When their children reach school age, staff may also receive an education allowance. European schools have been created to cater specifically for the children of officials. Nursery facilities are available for babies and young children."
"Annual leave entitlement starts at 24 days and rises with age and seniority. Public holidays are granted in addition. Medical insurance and pension schemes also exist."
"The EU Institutions offer their personnel a range of social facilities to help their integration into the working environment and the everyday life of the host country."
Like if you ask for it.
Why am I studying Hard Science agian?
I wonder how that compares with here. I actually wouldn't be that surprised if there were 20,000 bureaucrats making $90,000 in D.C.
All animals are equal; it's just that some animals are more equal than others.
For sure. However, each of the countries of the EU already has this layer of bureaucracy.
Reminds one of scientology...
Overpaid elitist socialist scumbags. Yep Sounds like the EU.
L70,000 equals about $171,000 U.S..
Correction. $108,000 U.S. Lazy fingers.
gbp70000 is about 135000 us....
Yeah, but you're forgetting one important fact. Our bureaucrats actually do something...they work to destroy this country. That in and of itself should earn them the big bucks.
And, not one of these folks was elected.
There is a whole section of benefits not mentioned. First, I see no provision for cars/limousenes. My bet is that each gets a generous expense account and, to save all the burden of paper shuffling (and avoid leaving a paper trail) gets, in lieu of submitting a periodic expense account, a per diem allowance. And, while per diem is supposed to be for days on duty, there is no simple way to stop the administrative mechanism, so, it is actually paid on a calendar day basis.
That's a point. We got 50 states but most of them don't have a slew of workers paid at that scale.
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