Giving yourself a pay raise is bad PR

It's not for nothing that the Knesset House Committee's decision on Wednesday to raise the salaries of MKs sparked a public torrent of outrage and discontent. The decision is indicative of our elected officials' detachment and insensitivity. I was at the meeting convened by committee chairman MK David Avitan (Likud) on Tuesday, and I was unconvinced by his justifications for rejecting the recommendations from a public panel of experts to freeze the salaries until the end of 2016.

The main excuse was that MKs' salary hikes, in his words, are on "autopilot." In other words, the arrangement was determined years ago and there is no reason to change it now. The second excuse was that several dozen decades ago MKs gave up a 4% yearly pension for a 2% yearly pension, like every other salaried employee. And the third excuse was that it isn't important how much or how little the salaries increase, the decision will be condemned by the public regardless.

The other MKs at the meeting did not exactly present additional data. Instead, like disciplined soldiers, they raised their hands to support the proposal. Of the 11 MKs who voted in favor of the pay raise, only five initially attended that meeting. Six other MKs had to be "summoned" to the hall at the last moment to place their votes (David Amsalem, Nava Boker and Nurit Koren from Likud, Yinon Magal from Habayit Hayehudi, Yisrael Eichler from United Torah Judaism, and Yoav Ben-Tzur from Shas). This in and of itself is an unbecoming phenomenon that needs to be changed: It is unthinkable that MKs don't attend a discussion on a particular matter and then arrive at the last minute just to vote, often without knowing what they are voting on or for.

The Knesset House Committee's decision to ignore the recommendations of the esteemed public panel, which was formed specifically to ensure that MKs don't determine their own salaries and other benefits they enjoy, begs us to ask why such a panel exists, only to be denigrated in such a manner. One panel member, attorney Hagai Siton, detailed the panel's recommendation to freeze the salaries, but MK Oren Hazan (Likud) responded to him in an extremely ill-mannered and disrespectful tone. Had I been a member of the public panel I would have resigned, because what is its point if its recommendations are just dismissed out of hand? Alternatively, legislation should be amended to guarantee that recommendations made by a public panel on MKs' wages and benefits are final and cannot be appealed.

The Knesset is taking noticeable pains to improve its public image. It is investing large sums of money in a new visitor center and in television programming for preschoolers created in conjunction with the educational channel; but the unbecoming decision by MKs to raise their own salaries has caused public damage that will be hard to fix for months to come.

MKs undoubtedly deserve a fair wage, but the salary and benefits they already receive (40,000 shekels, around $10,000, per month, plus a car, two or three parliamentary aides, a cushy office, trips abroad, and a special budget to maintain ties with their constituencies) are certainly fitting. The decision to give themselves an additional 700 to 1,500 shekels ($180 to $385) per month is completely inappropriate.

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