Senior civil servants’ pay is outstripping Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s by more than €18,000 following a wage hike last week.

New figures from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform reveal the salaries of the most high-ranking secretaries general of government departments have hit €204,020 a year.

Their wages stood at €197,117 last year – so have climbed by almost €7,000 – and are above the public sector pay cap for recruits.

Those in the second most senior civil service grade known as ‘secretary general II’ earn €193,819 following the pay increase on April 1.

They include secretaries general at the Department of the Taoiseach and Department of Finance and Public Expenditure.

But Mr Varadkar’s salary has been fixed at €185,350 for the past six years as senior politicians turned down pay rises after a public outcry. This came after it emerged they were due increases while a €5 hike in the State pension was delayed.

A spokesperson at the Department of Public Expenditure said the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, attorney general and ministers waived the increase due last week. They also waived pay rises due under the public sector wage agreement.

But they won’t lose out when their pensions are calculated as these will be based on their gross salary had they taken the increases.

Source: Read Full Article