Public managers earned almost six thousand euros, but there are gains
The majority of protests by public managers is lower than that of the prime minister, but there are cases that escape the rule, as with the president of TAP, who earns 6.5 times more than António Costa.
Since 2018, invitations from public managers have increased by 6.5%, around 1.3% per year. This is an increase below the penalty (2%) and equivalent to the salary increase recorded on the salary slip of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister.
A recent controversy involving compensation received by Alexandra Reiscurrent Secretary of State, when he left the administration of TAP to join NAV, he once again raised questions about the Public Manager Statute and the salaries that public managers earn.
The President of the Republic even alluded to the possibility of having a series of business loads from companies, directly or indirectly related to the State or owned by the State, which had salaries higher than those holding political power at the highest level.
Currently, the gross salary of the President of the Republic is 7,722 euros, that of the President of the Assembly of the Republic is 6,178 euros and the Prime Minister 5,792 euros.
The gross monthly salary of members of the management or administrative board of public companies, in addition to being determined according to “criteria arising from the complexity, requirement and responsibility inherent to the respective functions and compliance with normal market practices in the respective sector of activity ”, may not precede the Prime Minister’s monthly salary plus an amount equivalent to 40% of his basic salary in representation expenses.
This means that, currently, any of the 472 presidents of public companies cannot pay a base salary greater than 5,792 euros (times 14 months), plus 2,317 euros in representation expenses (times 12 months). In addition, company vice-presidents and directors cannot earn more than 90% and 80%, respectively, of the gross monthly income of their presidents.
This is what happened, for example, at CP – Comboios de Portugal, at Docapesca and at Infraestruturas de Portugal. According to CP’s 2021 report and accounts, the company’s president, Nuno Freitas – meanwhile replaced by its vice president Pedro Moreira – received 5,723 euros in monthly salary plus 2,289 euros in representation expenses last year. In 2021, the prime minister’s gross monthly salary was 5,740 euros.
At Docapesca, the company’s 2021 report and accounts reveal that its chairman, Sérgio Miguel Redondo Faias, last year earned an average basic salary of 4,578 euros plus representation expenses of 1,831 euros.
At Infraestruturas de Portugal, the company’s 2021 report and accounts state that the president at the time, António Carlos Laranjo da Silva – already replaced by Miguel Cruz, former Secretary of State for the Treasury –, received, last year, a base salary of 5,723 euros plus 40% of representation expenses.
Public managers hiring table
According to the decree-law that approves the Public Manager Statute, public companies are divided into three large groups, following the volume of business, the number of jobs, net assets and the contribution of the public financial year to the operating result .
The presidents of group A companies (the largest) can earn a basic salary equivalent to the prime minister’s salary. Leaders of group B companies are guaranteed up to an amount of 85% of the prime minister’s salary and leaders of group C companies cannot have a base remuneration of more than 80%.
There are two types of entities outside the remuneration system outlined by the Public Manager Statute: public business entities integrated in the National Health Service. Companies that are subject to a regime of free competition in the market, “since their main object is the production of goods and market services, including financial services, and other companies”, refers to the decree-law that defines the Manager’s Statute Public.
Among these companies are companies such as Caixa Geral de Depósitos (Caixa), RTP, TAP and, more recently, Banco de Fomento.
This allows, for example, that Paulo Macedo, president of Caixa, earned around 30 thousand euros per month last year (423 thousand euros gross).
The same goes for Christine Ourmières-Widener, president of TAP, who in addition to a gross annual salary of 504 thousand euros (more than 38 thousand euros a month) also receives a residence subsidy of 30 thousand euros, which make the president of TAP the highest paid manager of a public company.
But being outside the remuneration system outlined by the Public Manager Statute does not necessarily translate into a higher salary. Nicolau Santos, president of RTP since June 1, 2021, last year received a gross monthly job of 5,453 euros.