One of the effects that caused the economic crisis was the attempt of governments and politicians to demonstrate that they were also willing to tighten their belts, as demanded from citizens. In January 2014, with Artur Mas in the presidency of the Generalitat, the Parliament of Catalonia approved a measure aimed at that staging. The public budgets for that year included a salary limit so that no senior official, manager or manager of a public company could charge more than a Minister of the Government.

It has been almost six years since that measure was approved. However, the passivity of all executives who have passed through the Palau de la Generalitat since then has made it still not fully applied. Today, at least two people continue to receive salaries higher than those of their top political leaders.

The salary cap in the Generalitat was included in an annex to the public accounts of 2014, with a wording that left little room for interpretation: "The annual full remuneration of management personnel can in no case be higher than those set for the position of conseller of the Generalitat ". Its application did have immediate effects on new hires. All newcomers thereafter remained below the more than 108,000 euros they charged five years ago -115,000 today - the consellers . The same did not happen, however, with those who had contracts signed before 2014.

144,000 euros per year

Directors of foundations and medical consortiums or infrastructures such as Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat ( FGC ) have for years maintained salaries far superior to those legally permitted, some even higher than those of the president of the Generalitat itself. In 2017 there were still 12 people who enjoyed the privilege, as this newspaper published then. Gradually, the figure has been reduced and most of the senior officials have adapted, lowering their salaries until they comply with the regulations. However, at least two of the executives who remain in the workforce exceed the legal limits, as stated in the Transparency portal of the Generalitat consulted by EL MUNDO.

Olga Pané , manager of the Hospital del Mar , enters 126,270 euros gross per year, 11,000 more than what would correspond. It is the only public health directive that is in that situation.

On the scale of senior managers, however, the highest salary is in the leadership of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat. Its CEO, Pere Calvet , charges more than 144,000 euros. A salary that, paradoxically, not only exceeds that of the consellers , but also that of the president of the entity for which he works. That is, he charges more than his boss. The privileged situation of Calvet is reflected in another fact: only the president , Quim Torra, who charges 153,200 euros per year exceeds him in the ranking.

Consulted by this newspaper, sources of the General Inspection of the Generalitat admit the existence of salaries above the legal limits. A situation to which they argue that nothing can be done due to the lack of development of the regulations themselves, despite the years that have elapsed. The 2014 law that established the salary limit also included the elaboration of a decree that put, white on black, how the new remuneration system affected public companies based on their size. Three different Governs have passed since then - Artur Mas, Carles Puigdemont and now Quim Torra - and the norm still does not apply.

As sources of the Department of Salut also explain to justify the salary of the manager of the Hospital del Mar, while the decree is still not prepared, "the indications received have been that, for legal certainty, the remuneration and existing contracts are maintained." The Department of Territori , on which FGC depends, has not responded to the query made by this newspaper about the salary of its manager.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Artur Mas
  • Quim Torra
  • Carles Puigdemont

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