Parliament looks to approve salary bonus rules for public servants

A new amendment is being added to the Public Service Law, which introduces new salary bonus regulations for people working in Government structures.

The draft law was initiated at the Bureau session of Parliament today, and will likely be discussed by Parliament in its autumn session.

Under the new rules, high ranking public figures will be deprived the right of prescribing bonuses to themselves.

As Parliament Member Tina Khidasheli said today, no high ranking public figures will receive bonuses any more.

"Everyone who is elected by people in Sakrebulos, Adjarian Autonomic Republic, Georgian Parliament and people chosen by these elected people will not receive salary bonuses,” she said.

"The state budget should not depend on the morals of anyone. There should be a budgetary discipline policy between officials. This discipline requires that the Georgian population and voters know where budget money is being spent,” Khidasheli noted.

The MP said the Parliamentary minority were "speculating” with the salary bonus topic, because Parliament Members constantly received bonuses after the 2003 Rose Revolution.

The new draft-law will foresee all bonuses be required to be signed off by the head of a division only after an employee’s direct supervisor provided a detailed explanation why the person deserved a bonus. If there was no person who ranked higher in a Governmental institution, the Prime Minister will be given the right to decide if a bonus was necessary.

Cash bonuses cannot be higher than the person’s salary and bonuses will be offered no more than once every quarter.