The police branch of the independent union of public employees (Asdyk) issued a statement on Monday expressing dissatisfaction with the finance ministry’s decision to calculate the compensation for police officers working during the upcoming elections on June 9.
The ministry is basing the payment on the A3 civil service pay scale, which effectively means that they will be paid less for the day.
“Thousands of police officers, most of whom are on pay scales A7, A8, and A9 with over 15 years of service, will be required to work over 20 continuous hours on election Sunday to ensure the process runs smoothly,” the union said.
“Despite this, they will be compensated as if they were newly recruited cadets at the police academy,” the statement said.
The union called on the finance ministry to “reconsider the decision swiftly”, criticising it for “attempting to save resources at the expense of low-paid police officers, especially since the compensation for the day is non-recurring”.
“The union demands fair treatment for its members and all police officers,” the statement continued. “Compensation should be paid according to the hours worked and based on each officer’s current pay scale.”
The union also mentioned that a recent order from the chief of police forced officers to work beyond their usual hours, receiving time off instead of overtime pay.
“This, along with the decision of the finance ministry [concerning the compensation during the elections] completes the injustice against police members.”
