Catalonia's top officials give up their Christmas bonus as good faith gesture

In an effort to try to head off an imminent strike by regional health workers angry about proposed job cuts, regional premier Artur Mas announced that he and about 350 other government officials will give up their entire Christmas bonuses this year.

At the same time, he asked health workers to also forfeit half their holiday pay as part of an austerity measure to avoid layoffs of doctors and nurses.

"We all have to make sacrifices," Mas said on Wednesday.

The Catalonia premier, who earns 144,000 euros annually, won't collect the 10,285 euros he is entitled to as a Christmas bonus. Commissioners who earn 108,000 euros will surrender their 7,714 euro bonuses.

The total savings from the Christmas payout for the top government officials will amount to 1.8 million euros while the region's 41,000 health workers will forfeit some 25 million euros.

There was mixed reaction to Mas' good faith gesture. Opposition parties accused him of taking advantage of a political opportunity but none of the groups have publicly come out against the bonus cuts. Unions representing the health workers have threatened to call a general strike next year if the region goes through with the cuts, said Patricio Martínez, secretary general of the State Confederation of Health Unions (CESM).

Meanwhile, workers at Barcelona's Hospital Sant Pau voted to join a coordinated strike with other regional hospitals if there are job losses. So far, Hospital Joan XXIII in Tarragona, Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, Arnau de Vilanova in Lleida, and Josep Trueta in Girona have signed up to the strike proposal.

Catalan Economy commissioner Andreu Mas-Colell asked health workers to recognize that the situation is "critical" and that 2012 will be "a tough year."

Speaking during a television interview on Thursday, Mas-Colell said the government hasn't ruled out taking other similar measures next year, including cutting extra pay for top officials next June.

"Nothing is sacred in this process of austerity we are undertaking. It could and should affect everyone at some point, including the compensations we earn for the work performed," he said.

In a statement, the CCOO Catalonia chapter has accused the regional government of "putting the weight of the crisis on the shoulders of the most vulnerable workers while at the same time channeling money to help rescue the banks."

After Mas' announcement, other branches of the regional government began chiming in. Núria de Gispert, the speaker of the Catalan parliament, announced a "shock plan" to cut legislative expenses. One of these measures would also have lawmakers give up their Christmas bonuses. The 135 members of the regional parliament get an average of about 3,500 euros each in holiday pay.

All the parties are negotiating where to make more cutbacks. De Gispert said that the savings plan "doesn't have to necessarily mimic" the central government's austerity proposal.

The Barcelona city council is also discussing cutting back on Christmas bonuses for its members. The proposal was made by the Popular Party (PP) leader Alberto Fernández Díaz and is backed by the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) chief Jordi Hereu, who said that he hopes it will officially be announced by Mayor Xavier Trias.

Mas-Colell, the economy commissioner, assured government workers that any bonus cuts made will be negotiated with the unions beforehand. "They will be proportionally made" he said.

Both the CCOO and UGT of Catalonia fear that with all the bonuses being canceled among government officials, it is only a matter of time before they are extended to all public workers.