Defence Ministry Wants to Increase Professional Soldiers' Salaries

Bratislava, December 17 (TASR) – Soldiers’ salaries will grow in the coming year as the Defence Ministry is preparing new legislation to adjust the remuneration of professional soldiers, with the Defence Minister Peter Gajdos (Slovak National Party/SNS) saying they want to make the occupation of professional soldiers more attractive, TASR learnt on Monday.

“We’re fully aware of the fact that we need to improve the attractiveness of the military profession and make it more competitive in the labour market,” said Gajdos. Underestimating or postponing the unfavourable situation in the field of remuneration and benefits could, according to Gajdos, lead to a serious problem also in connection with replenishing military personnel. For this reason, the ministry has prepared the concept of Armed Forces personnel management, which it plans to submit next year to the Government.

According to the minister, the concept being prepared aims to analyse the current state of the personnel management, create preconditions of a legislative nature, that is specific measures that will contribute to the elimination of the worsening of the negative trends in the Slovak Armed Force over recent years. “This is primarily about stopping the decline of young people’s interest in the civil service of professional soldier, and decisively increasing the attractiveness, the social prestige and the competitiveness of the military occupation in the labour market,” said the minister.

Soldiers’ salaries in the new year should reach the average salary level in the national economy. According to the minister, they will grow in terms of valorisation by ten percent and after incorporating the planned changes by about an additional €300. Since these measures also require legislative changes, the ministry plans to submit to a Government meeting an amendment to the Act on the Civil Service of Professional Soldiers.