From $1.1m to $1.8m: Government accepts raising entry-level minister benchmark pay从110万美元提高到180万美元：政府同意提高初级部长基准薪酬
The Government will raise the salary benchmark of entry-level ministers at the MR4 grade to $1.8 million, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in Parliament on Tuesday (Sept 8).The norm annual ministerial wage has remained at $1.1 million since 2011.In a ministerial statement on Tuesday, PM Wong said the Government accepts the new benchmark level proposed by the independent committee which...
The Government will raise the salary benchmark of entry-level ministers at the MR4 grade to $1.8 million, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in Parliament on Tuesday (Sept 8).
The norm annual ministerial wage has remained at $1.1 million since 2011.
In a ministerial statement on Tuesday, PM Wong said the Government accepts the new benchmark level proposed by the independent committee which reviewed the salary structure of political office holders earlier this year .
Under the updated salary framework, which takes effect on Oct 15, elected Members of Parliaments (MPs) will receive a higher fixed monthly allowance of $18,500, up from $13,750.
The remuneration of the President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker will also be adjusted.
The prime minister's salary is double that an entry-level minister — which means PM Wong's salary increment will be $1.4 million. He told Parliament on Tuesday that this amount will be fully donated to "suitable good causes" for the next five years should he remain prime minister.
And the new MR4 benchmark figure does not mean all ministers within the grade will reach the reference pay of $1.8 million.
There are currently four ministerial grades — MR4 to MR1 — with each grade comprising a range of salary points that determines a minister's fixed pay.
One-off adjustment of up to 9%
PM Wong said a one-off adjustment of up to nine per cent will be applied to the current wages of political office holders.
This adjustment will vary for each minister depending on individual circumstances, including performance and when their salary was last adjusted.
For example, an MR4 Minister earning the current reference annual salary of $1.1 million will receive a new salary of about $1.2 with the full nine per cent adjustment.
The reference pay includes fixed pay and variable components including bonuses based on assumed individual performance and the National Bonus.
"Thereafter, there will be no further special adjustments to close the gap to $1.8 million. Instead, any subsequent changes will be based on individual performance and responsibilities," PM Wong added.
According to him, 10 of 16 ministers are on the MR4 grade.
The new framework will combine grades MR2 and MR3, and the salary range for each grade will also be widened to plus or minus 25 per cent, as recommended by the review committee.
Ministers' pay to remain tied to performance: PM Wong
PM Wong said he will continue to assess the ministers and adjust their salaries based on performance.
"On that basis, by the end of this term of government, I expect most Ministers who remain at MR4 to be at the lower end of the new salary range — about $1.35 million," he added.
"Those who excel and take on larger responsibilities may move higher within the range, or be promoted to a higher Ministerial grade."
The salaries of other officeholders — Ministers of State, Parliamentary Secretaries and Mayors — will be assessed and adjusted using the same approach.
PM Wong said new office holders will likely assume position at different points within the reference salary ranges under the revised framework.
"It gives the PM more room to differentiate pay according to performance, and importantly, to bring in people with substantial experience from outside Government, especially those already earning significantly more in the private sector," he stated.
"Overall, I believe this will give me and future Prime Ministers a better chance of persuading capable Singaporeans to step forward, and of building the strongest possible team for Singapore."
Parliament will debate the political salary review on Thursday (Sept 10).
lim.kewei@asiaone.com
总理黄循财周二（9月8日）在国会宣布，政府将把MR4级初级部长的薪资基准提高到180万新元。
自 2011 年以来，部长级官员的年均工资一直保持在 110 万美元。
黄循财总理周二发表部长声明称，政府接受独立委员会提出的新基准水平，该委员会于今年早些时候审查了政治官员的薪酬结构。
根据将于 10 月 15 日生效的最新薪酬框架，当选国会议员将获得更高的固定月津贴，从 13,750 美元增至 18,500 美元。
总统、议长和副议长的薪酬也将进行调整。
总理的薪水是初级部长的两倍——这意味着黄循财总理的薪水将增加140万新元。他周二在国会表示，如果他继续担任总理，这笔钱将在未来五年内全部捐赠给“合适的慈善事业”。
新的 MR4 基准数字并不意味着该级别的所有部长都将达到 180 万美元的参考薪酬。
目前部长级共有四个级别——MR4 至 MR1——每个级别都包含一系列薪级点，这些薪级点决定了部长的固定工资。
一次性调整幅度最高可达 9%
黄循财总理表示，将对政治公职人员的现行工资进行一次性调整，调整幅度最高可达9%。
每位部长的薪资调整幅度将根据个人情况而有所不同，包括绩效考核以及上次薪资调整的时间。
例如，一位 MR4 部长目前的参考年薪为 110 万美元，加上 9% 的调整，他的新年薪将约为 120 万美元。
参考薪酬包括固定薪酬和浮动部分，浮动部分包括基于预期个人绩效的奖金和国家奖金。
黄循财总理补充说：“此后，不会再进行任何特殊调整来弥补180万美元的差距。任何后续调整都将基于个人表现和职责。”
据他所说，16 位部长中有 10 位是 MR4 级。
新的框架将合并 MR2 和 MR3 等级，并且每个等级的薪资范围也将扩大到正负 25%，正如审查委员会建议的那样。
黄循财总理：部长薪酬将继续与绩效挂钩
黄循财总理表示，他将继续评估各位部长，并根据他们的表现调整薪酬。
“以此为依据，我预计到本届政府任期结束时，大多数留在 MR4 级别的部长将处于新薪资范围的较低水平——大约 135 万美元，”他补充道。
“那些表现优异并承担更大责任的人，可能会在现有职级范围内晋升，或者被提拔到更高的部长级别。”
其他公职人员——国务部长、议会秘书和市长——的薪金将采用相同的方法进行评估和调整。
黄循财总理表示，根据修订后的薪酬框架，新任官员的薪酬可能会在参考薪酬范围内处于不同的水平。
“这让总理有更大的空间根据绩效来区分薪酬，更重要的是，还能从政府以外引进有丰富经验的人才，特别是那些已经在私营部门收入高得多的人，”他表示。
“总的来说，我相信这将使我和未来的总理们更有机会说服有能力的的新加坡人挺身而出，并为新加坡组建最强大的团队。”
议会将于周四（9月10日）就政治薪酬审查进行辩论。
lim.kewei@asiaone.com