The Colombia Secretary of Senate approved paychecks for congress on Monday, effectively lowering salaries for the month of September, following a court order exempting the members of congress from receiving two premiums.
The approval comes after a delay in payment due a impasse following the ruling by a Colombian high court, exempting the Colombian legislators from two premiums, one related to health and the other to living in Bogota, which would lower their effective pay from $12,000 to $8,900 for the month of September.
In addition, another 1,920 federal government workers may be affected by the ruling.
Compared to the annual six digit figure earned by Colombian lawmakers, according to the CIA World Factbook, the per capita GDP of Colombia in total was estimated at just $11,000 per year in 2012.
Sources
- Salario de congresistas sí bajó (El Espactador)
- CIA World Factbook: Colombia
