Government allocates 7.3 million euros for police and rescue pay rises

The government has allocated 7.3 million euros for pay rises affecting 3,764 positions in rescue and law enforcement services from the start of next year, Interior Minister Igor Taro said, according to ERR.

The increases will cover rescue workers, police officers, border guards and emergency call handlers. Taro said the additional funding would be directed mainly to lower-paid frontline staff rather than distributed evenly across the workforce.

Rescue workers will receive the largest increase, gaining 140 euros a month. Their minimum salary will rise by nearly 9 percent and their average salary by 8 percent, bringing it to about 85 percent of Estonia’s average wage, Taro said.

The minimum salary for police officers will increase by 4.4 percent. The average salary for patrol officers will rise to above the national average, while the minimum salary for emergency call handlers will increase by nearly 5 percent. Technicians and customer support specialists at SMIT will also receive increases of 90 euros a month.

The increases will also cover frontline supervisors who carry out operational duties. Other managers and staff at the Interior Ministry will not receive a pay rise. Taro said nearly 8,000 people work in the ministry’s area of government and that he had sought more funding, but the state’s financial resources are limited.