Senior civil servants, especially those who work closest with Cabinet members, received more than Sk100,000 (€3,000) in end-of-year bonuses, the Pravda daily reported on January 5.
The highest of all bonuses - Sk125,000 - was awarded by Health Minister Ivan Valentovič to his State Secretary Daniel Klacko, who earns, along with fringe benefits, around Sk83,000 a month. Valentovič also gave out Sk90,000-Sk125,000 to his ministry’s divisional chiefs.
Labour and Social Affairs Minister Viera Tomanová rewarded political nominees in her ministry's top posts with sums far exceeding the Sk20,000 average. State Secretaries Peter Šika and Emília Kršíkova were awarded with between Sk60,000 and Sk80,000, while divisions chiefs received Sk50-70,000. Prime Minister Robert Fico awarded Sk90,000 to Igor Federič, who heads the Government Office, and some divisional chiefs.
The Freedom of Information Act obligates ministries to disclose how much their employees receive in bonuses, which the ministries are fighting in court as an unconstitutional invasion of privacy. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
