Ruling party leader says ministers' bonuses will go to charity

The leader of the conservative Law and Justice party, Jarosław Kaczyński, also said he wanted parliamentarians to take a 20 percent pay cut.

He warned that any Law and Justice members who do not back a bill to cut MPs wages will not stand for election in 2019.

According to a number of polls in late March, support for the ruling party fell after news emerged that former Prime Minister Beata Szydło awarded herself and other top politicians bonuses of about 50 percent of their annual salaries.

Some Law and Justice politicians criticised the way the opinion polls were conducted.

A number of ruling party front-benchers received bonuses which varied from PLN 65,000 to PLN 82,000 gross. Szydło awarded herself PLN 65,000.

The pay-outs came before a major government reshuffle which saw Szydło and about half of government ministers replaced.

Prior to its election in late 2015, the Law and Justice party was vocally critical of its predecessors who gave themselves hefty bonuses. (vb/pk)

Source: IAR