Officials Closer to Power than Other Segments of Population

Orders of the President of Azerbaijan increased salaries of workers of culture, youth and sports, financed from the state budget.

Previously, higher wages and salaries affected employees of law enforcement agencies, particularly those with special ranks and civilian employees who are not civil servants - Ministry of Internal Affairs, including the Internal Troops, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Special State Protection Service, the Prison Service and the Chief Medical management of the Ministry of Justice, the State Border Service and the State Customs Committee.

For all categories of employees of public sector wages and salaries increased by 10%.

In addition, a 2-fold increased monthly stipends for honors: now the "popular" culture and art will receive an allowance of $ 100, and "deserved" - 60 AZN.

Finance Minister Samir Sharifov during the autumn discuss the budget for 2013, said that this year is expected to increase the salaries of approximately 700 thousand state employees. In addition, one of these days is expected to increase the basic pension and welfare benefits. Approximately, for the allowances will be spent 180 million manat, the agency said a source in the Ministry of Finance.

Earlier, Turan reported that a series of massive bonuses to public sector wages and social benefits to poor people is timed to the presidential election. The basic pension in Azerbaijan since 2006, kept at 85 manat, and in contrast to annually review the subsistence level (1 January 2013 - 116 manats) until constant.

The president regularly raises the salaries of employees of law enforcement agencies, non-government support, (last order was signed in late December 2011). In addition, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Taxes, Customs Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has a budget funds in order to "raise the level of social protection", which lists up to 25% fines (there is an incentive for illegal financial penalties).

According to the decree 203 of 13 December 2011 the Cabinet of Ministers, a single wage rates of employees of institutions financed from the state budget, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan consists of 19 categories - the salary of employees category 1 - AZN 93.5, the highest category - 644 manat .

In government and public officials salaries are much higher. On the example of the Youth Fund of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism we can observe gradation salary - a monthly salary of the executive director is 1,210 manat, chief of staff of the organization - 913 manat, chief accountant - 847 manat, head of a sector - AZN 800, chief adviser - AZN 726, leading adviser - AZN 605, and advisers - 550 manats. Surcharges are not included.

Turan wrote that the inflation process and the progress of implementation of the law on the state budget can increase wages by 10% without significantly increasing the well-being of the population. Even rumors of increase of pensions and salaries representatives of mass professions (teachers and doctors) encourage the growth of food prices and further on all production of the real sector of the economy.

Typically, the increase in wages, pensions and social benefits in Azerbaijan is not based on public monitoring and strategic studies, and spontaneous - on the eve of defining political events - the same election, for example. The state budget for next year deputies handed out a week before its approval without coordination with the people's representatives, and even more so with non-governmental organizations.

According to figures from the State Statistics Committee, Azerbaijan has the lowest wage workers receive health care (on average, 164 manat per month) and education (283 manat).

On spheres of economic activity more than others earn employees of the extractive industry, pilots, communications, finance and insurance companies, transport workers and builders. - 17D-