The leaders of the Left Party faction in the Bundestag have strongly criticized the automatic pay raise for members of parliament scheduled for this summer. According to a statement reported by Spiegel from Heidi Reichinnek and Sören Pellmann, the leaders noted that “every day this government tells the people in the country that money is scarce”. They argued that while the government imposes drastic austerity measures and urges everyone to “tighten their belts and contribute” this apparently does not apply to the governing parties themselves, which are seemingly keen on a substantial salary increase of around 500 euros per month.
The faction leaders deemed this action to be audacious and warned that it would “justifiably cause even more frustration among the population”. In their statement, they criticized the coalition for failing to provide tangible relief for the majority while simultaneously granting themselves a luxurious “wage increase”.
Pellmann and Reichinnek also stated that they plan to introduce another motion this year to suspend the pay raise, calling it “an overdue sign of decency” to approve it. Should their initiative fail, they reiterated that, as was the case with the previous pay adjustment, they intend to donate the funds for social projects.
Overall, the Left Party fundamentally opposes the automatic increase in salaries. Since 2014, the adjustments have been automatic, linking the income of parliamentarians to the current wage development.
