THE PUBLIC PAY SYSTEM IS CHANGING

Public pay will be based on the difficulty and responsibility of the job rather than the title. It is not yet clear when the change will start.

The pay system for public employees is changing completely. Salaries will be equalised. A major reform is on the way that will change from top to bottom the pay system of 5 million 400 thousand civil servants and workers in the public sector. In the new system, pay will be set according to the difficulty of the work and the level of responsibility, rather than the title. Four institutions will run the work.

This is a large step that will change personal rights at the root.

In line with the provision in the government’s announced 2027 Annual Programme, the complicated pay scale in the public sector will be modernised from top to bottom.

Under the new model, the nature of the duty undertaken, the degree of difficulty of the work, the breadth of authority and the level of responsibility will be accepted as the basic criteria in setting pay.

Of the 5 million 400 thousand public personnel in total, 3 million 582 thousand are permanent civil servants.

There are more than 1 million 267 thousand permanent workers, about 420 thousand contract staff, and around 148 thousand people in other employment statuses.

Under the current practice, staff who do the same job in the same institution but have a different status face serious imbalances in pay and personal rights.

A joint study run in coordination by the Presidency, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, and the Presidency of Strategy and Budget is planned to end this tangle of rules.

The new reform will strengthen the principle of equal pay for equal work and remove the pay gaps that come from post and status.

Another important part of the programme is reform for members of career professions such as specialists, inspectors and auditors.

To keep qualified and trained people in the public sector, appointment processes, job descriptions and criteria for promotion will be taken up from scratch.

It is not yet clear, however, which titles the regulation will cover, how it will show up in pay packets, or the exact date on which it will start.