According to the mayor, the head of BKV deserves a higher salary increase than the others.
Mayor Gergely Karácsony significantly increased the salary of the CEO of BKV Zrt. from HUF 2.3 million to HUF 2.6 million. The 13 percent wage increase for managers exceeds the average 12.5 percent wage agreement concluded with BKV. In addition, this measure is not evenly distributed, those with better earnings received an even smaller increase.
The salary of the CEO of Budapesti Közlekedesi Zrt. (BKV) increased from HUF 2.3 million to HUF 2.6 million, and that of the head of Budapest Gyógyfürdői és Hévizei Zrt. (BGYH) increased from HUF 1.950 million to HUF 2.2 million.
Mayor Gergely Karácsony approved the proposal to amend the salary ceilings, which allows for a salary increase for managers.
The significant salary increases for managers were revealed in Kiss Ambrus' proposal to amend the salary ceilings. The deputy mayor said: "We created remuneration rules that indicate salary ceilings. We tried to adapt the level of income to state companies. Due to our multi-year wage agreement, a 13.5 percent wage increase took place in the entire Budapest family. In order to be able to give the 13.5 percent increase to the head of BKV, we had to raise the salary ceiling from 80 percent to 90 percent," said the deputy mayor. According to Kiss Ambrus, the rules for fringe benefits at BGYH were amended so that the CEO could also receive the same cafeteria level as other employees.
The salary of the general manager of BKV increased by 13 percent, while at the transport company - contrary to Ambrus Kiss' claim - the salary of the employees increased by only 12.5 percent on average based on the wage agreement for 2024.
Moreover, this does not mean that everyone received a 12.5 percent salary increase: the wages of workers in lower positions could increase by 13-13.5 percent, but the company only increased the wages of higher wages by 10-11.5 percent.
According to the wage agreement between 2021 and 2024, it was possible for companies in the capital to increase their wages by 12.5 percent + 1 percent this year, the extra one percent did not affect the employees.
BKV CEO Tibor Bolla thus - calculated without discounts - receives 1.729 million forints per month after the net base salary increase of 195 thousand forints, which is supplemented by non-salary benefits and a hefty year-end bonus if the premium targets are met.
Cover photo: Budapest, December 1, 2023.
Mayor Gergely Karácsony speaks before the departure of BKV's festive light trams and light buses at the Hungária train station on December 1, 2023.
Source: MTI/Péter Lakatos
