BRATISLAVA, February 23, (WEBNOVINY) – Defense Minister Lubomir Galko told reporters on Wednesday that some excessive golden parachute cases came to light also in the defense sector. The minister mentioned the former head of the state-run plane maintenance company Letecke Opravovne Trencin (LOTN) who has left his office with an eightfold of his monthly salary, 43,000 euro, at the beginning of 2009. The minister reported on one more such case in LTN and also in the military maintenance company Vojensky Opravarensky Podnik Trencin. Now Galko says this era is over: with all both remaining and new managers, they have agreed that none of them will get any severance money when leaving the company. Such one-off agreement however cannot influence the collective labor agreements, however, the severance money they determine is not that high. In addition, these agreements usually do only affect rank-and-file employees, not the management. However, managers are entitled to severance pays also according to the Labor Code. Galko would like to have the same rules in all state-controlled companies.
The minister reported that that an average employee in the military maintenance company Vojensky Opravarensky Podnik Novaky (VOPN) earns 500 euro per month, but the director general used to have six times more – 3,000 euro. “The new director will have to pull in, he will definitely not earn that much,” said Galko, adding that the company faces existential problems. “This is a long-term practice, which worked in these companies for a long time,” claims Galko.
Galko has made public the salaries of the managers of all six military joint stock companies. According to the materials he provided at his press conference, the current VOPN director general is the best paid one, earning 2,921 euro. He is entitled to a 830 euro bonus, which is already included in the salary. The head of Vojensky Opravarensky Podnik Trencin earns 2,755 euro, head of LOTN 2,190 euro and is eligible to an additional 498-euro reward. The director of the Military Medical Facilities (VZZ) earns 1,950 euro and may receive an additional 332-euro reward. The directors of two Military Recreation Center and Hotels at Zemplinska Sirava and Smrekovica earn 1,032 and 996 euro respectively. Both are entitled to a 498-euro reward, but their contracts do not allow severance pay.
SITA