Georgian Parliament Adopts Bill Streamlining State Salaries

(TBILISI)-- The Georgian parliament on Monday adopted a bill on specific salary ranges for public service jobs.

The highest monthly wages are set at 13,000GEL ($5,138.38)for the prime minister, president and the parliament speaker

They will be followed by parliamentary committee chairs with 11,800GEL ($4,664.07) and the head of the Adjara Autonomous Republic on the Black Sea at 11,050 GEL ($4,367.62).

The draft law has been initiated by the Public Service Bureau to end illegal salary supplements and under-the-table bonuses for public servants, many of which are far higher than their official monthly incomes.

The most recent official data for the Georgian parliament showed that the state budget allocated more money for bonuses rather than fixed salaries. Between January-November, parliament member’s salaries amounted to3.2 million GEL ($1.264 million) from the state budget, while more than 5million GEL ($1.976 million) was spent on bonuses.