My gross salary is 362,000 forints, which is only 255,000 forints net. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to change jobs, as I only have a few years left until retirement
– wrote one law enforcement employee to 24.hu, expressing frustration that despite the surge in prices, they haven’t received a raise in over two years.
For them, the situation is even stranger than for judges or prosecutors: since January, the upper limits of their pay scales have been increased, yet their salaries have not risen. Even those who did get a raise had no reason to feel fully satisfied: what happened was that the guaranteed minimum wage (currently 326,000 forints) caught up with their salaries; so many poorly paid law enforcement employees saw their pay only “increase to the minimum wage.”
Looking at the pay scale for law enforcement employees, it’s clear that in most pay grades and classes, the lower limit of the salary range is set at the guaranteed minimum wage (or even below it, in which case they receive the higher minimum wage). In the “C” category, which includes higher-level job positions, the lower limit for the highest pay grade, after 35 years of service, is only 325,000 forints, which is now lower than the guaranteed minimum wage. The upper limit is 612,000 forints, which is still below the gross national average wage measured by the Central Statistical Office. In the “D” pay grade, after 24 years of service, the lower limit surpasses the minimum wage, reaching 340,000 forints, while in the “E” grade, it takes eight years to achieve this milestone. Above this grade, there is only one higher pay grade, “F”, which includes key positions requiring higher education. Here, the lower limit is 500,000 forints, but no upper limit has been set, though even in this category, astronomical salaries are not typical.
According to last year’s data from the Ministry of Interior, one-quarter of law enforcement employees were receiving the guaranteed minimum wage, and this number may have increased since. Among law enforcement workers (such as drivers, mechanics, and manual labourers), the situation is even worse, with three-quarters of them receiving the guaranteed minimum wage in 2023
– according to Géza Pongó, Secretary General of the Independent Police Trade Union, speaking to 24.hu.
Some law enforcement employees were reclassified into higher pay grades last year, yet their salaries remained unchanged. “In my original pay category, my salary was mid-range between the lower and upper limits, but in the new category, it barely exceeds the lower limit. So, I didn’t get an actual raise, only the possibility of one – noted one employee diplomatically about their reclassification to a higher grade over a year ago.
Péterné Boros, president of the Trade Union of Hungarian Civil Servants and Public Employees (MKKSZ), expressed a harsher opinion, labelling the pay bands as a complete scam. “Typically, employees’ salaries are close to the lower limit” – she stated to our paper.
Géza Pongó agrees that salaries tend to align with the lower end.
If there is a high demand for labour somewhere, a new hire might get a salary nearing the upper limit. This, of course, can create wage tension, as the newcomer may earn more than an experienced colleague who’s been working there for thirty years
– remarked the union leader.
The unions don’t have precise data on staff turnover. “Employees who have been working there for decades tend not to leave, but when someone does go, it’s hard to replace them. Few new hires come in, and if they do, they leave soon after” – he added.
The Ministry of Interior is also aware of these issues and considers improving the wage situation for all law enforcement personnel a priority.
The issue of wage increases is constantly on the agenda, and it depends on the budget’s capacity
– responded the Ministry to our inquiry, reminding us of past raises up until 2022. “In line with the government’s decision, there was a 20% raise of the total wage base in 2019, followed by further, 5 per cent annual increases over the next three years. The significant annual increase in the guaranteed minimum wage also contributed to improving wage positions” – they wrote.
The recent increase in the upper limit of the pay bands was justified by the need to ensure professional replacements and to improve staff retention within law enforcement agencies, allowing these organisations more flexibility. “Raising the upper limit of the pay bands – considering that salary determination within the lower and upper boundaries and consequently, raises, are at the discretion of the employer – creates an opportunity for law enforcement agencies to retain experienced employees in certain roles and ensure the replenishment of their staff” – the Ministry’s response stated. They added that decisions regarding where an employee’s salary falls within the range are made by the employer, with an annual possibility of reviewing it.
From the Ministry of Interior’s annual report for last year, it is clear that the average gross salary for law enforcement employees was 396,000 forints gross, which is significantly lower than the national average of 571,000 forints measured by the Central Statistical Office. The ministry also shared updated figures with us, indicating that the average salary for Hungary’s 9,257 law enforcement employees is currently 437,367 forints gross. This breaks down as follows:
- The average salary for managers is 805,875 forints,
- The average salary for employees with higher education is 549,581 forints,
- While the average salary for those with secondary education is 397,326 forints.
