Policy
Authorities of the 48 cantons arrived at Congress to present a memorial against the salary increase of legislators.
Authorities of the Board of Directors of the 48 cantons of Totonicapán are presented to Congress to demand that the salary increase for deputies be repealed. (Free Press Photo: Carlos Ochoa)
Members of the Board of Directors of the 48 cantons of Totonicapán went on Wednesday, March 5 to the Congress of the Republic and met with the president of that agency, Nery Ramos, who was given a memorial in rejection of the salary increase that the deputies were authorized.
Indigenous leaders pointed out that they presented the memorial because the disagreement with the increase has become generalized in the population.
They indicated that it is an arbitrary, abusive and lacking decision of technical arguments, because the economic situation of the population is precarious, so the increase is not consistent with the reality of many Guatemalan families.
“It is unacceptable for a small sector to have so much opulence,” they said.
In addition, they stated that they do not understand how the State has the ability to disburse resources for salary increase, when there are priority needs such as education, health and economy.
“We make the following request to the Board of Directors and the Finance Commission of the Congress of Guatemala: to submit as soon as possible the knowledge of the plenary session for the immediate repeal of the agreement, act or decree referring to the salary increase of the deputies, as it is a unilateral and unconscious decision, which only reaffirms the inequalities existing in the country,” said indigenous leaders.
Recently, Ramos, accompanied by the block leaders, defended the increase in the base salary of the deputies, which will now be Q46 700.
At the time, the increase was denied by Ramos and by deputies of the Board of Directors, but finally concretized when the legislators received the payment on Friday, February 28.
The salary increase for the deputies was established in Legislative Agreement 31-2024, when the Plenary of Congress approved its budget by 2025.