ICE pays miscellaneous and pawns to ¢ 1.4 million

Another 2,000 earn about ¢ 505,000 for that work; in private sector, ¢ 300,000

Otto Guevara and Sandra Piszk want to reform wage calculating bonuses

July 14th,2015

Building a pawn of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) gained ¢ 1.4 million salary in May, while a miscellaneous ¢ 1.3 million earned in those 31 days.

These are the highest wages in those categories; among the 22,353 people working in that entity. There are also masons charged ¢ 1.6 million and cooks who received ¢ 1.4 million state coffers.

While at the Institute those millionaires wages paid in the private sector, which does not recognize salariales- bonuses paid to a pawn and a miscellaneous ¢ 343,000, ¢ 300,000 (payments four times lower than the highest of the ICE). Bricklayers earn ¢ 353,000 per month and cooks earn ¢ 342,000; almost five times less than their counterparts highest paid in the state enterprise.

The average salary of 1,533 laborers who reported the ICE is ¢ 585,000, while that of the 423 Miscellaneous is ¢ 505,000.

The data comes from the return recorded by the Institute to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) in May this year. These were provided by the media deputy Otto Guevara, of the Libertarian Movement (ML), with name and identification number of workers each.

According to the legislator, which aims to make public such payments it is to demonstrate that the public sector is full of excesses, abuses and imbalances. He said that Costa Ricans do want awareness and demand less government waste.

The comparison between public and private realities made this medium from total wages, including the variable portion as overtime. In the case of a private company, reference payments are estimates of companies that meet legal obligations.

For the deputy Guevara, some categories of employment in the ICE are overflowing because of the great number of employees.

For example, the records in that entity CCSS 1147 builders; 728 artisans in wood; 400 drivers; 1,524 civil engineers; 200 secretaries and 581 welders.

La Nacion asked a reaction to the leaders of the ICE, but at press time no answer. The unions claim that the facts revealed by Guevara are false.

More gaps. The average salary for a private company winemaker is ¢ 407,000, but if you work in ICE, he could earn up to ¢ 1.2 million through salary bonuses as annuities and dedication.

According to the decree of the Ministry of Labour, warehouse employee must earn a minimum of ¢ 286,000 monthly.

The reality for cashiers is similar: in the Institute may receive up to ¢ 1.5 million, but could only aspire to ¢ 360,000, on average, in a non-state company. For them, the minimum wage decreed no more than ¢ 323,000.

The electricity and telecommunications company only reports five journalists, whose salary is about ¢ 2.3 million. In a private media, they would be paid just over the legal minimum: about ¢ 820,000.

In the ICE, 200 secretaries earn, on average, ¢ 691,000 and ¢ earn better wages 1.7 million. For this job category, the minimum wage is ¢ 323,000.

On the payroll of the Institute also include a potter, two floral arrangers seven craftsmen in leather, glass engraver, three technicians in artistic drawing, a literary author, an arbitrator five curators.

Read more: 'La Nación'