Basque public salaries to receive cuts of between 0.5% and 2.8%

Cuts to be made to Basque civil servants' salaries between June and December this year will range between 0.56% and 2.86%, the equivalent of a 50 million euro saving for the public treasury.

The same reduction scale will be applied to public sector employees, with cuts being similarly proportionate to earnings. Cuts imply a reduction in overall annual earnings of between 1 and 5%.

The Basque Country hoped to develop its own table for the reduction of public worker salaries in a way that is "more progressive and equal" than that proposed by the central executive in which "he who earns the most suffers least while those in the middle suffers the most".

The salary of Basque President Patxi Lopez will receive an 8% annual cut, while those of his councilors will be cut by 7% and those of his vice-councilors by 6%. All cuts will come into effect in July, although they will be backdated to June and continue until the end of the year.

In addition, the Basque Government is planning to save another 50 million euros with certain "complementary measures" in the Basque Administration, such as the liquidation of 166 posts left vacant due to retirement, a 10% reduction in annual costs spent on assignments and short-term employees, and an 8% cut in costs spent on temporary employees.