Investigation committee - The CDU rode its horse to death in the committee:
Lower Saxony's Minister-President Stephan Weil defended the increase in wages of an important employee again and levelled accusations at the CDU. "This individual case has raised a fundamental issue. Lower Saxony had a significantly stricter practice than other federal states, and now we are doing it like the others," said the SPD politician to the "Nordwest-Zeitung".
The fact that the procedure in the process caused criticism annoys him, but in essence, the decision was right, stressed the head of government. In response to the question of whether the CDU had been misled by the Investigative Committee, Weil said: "I believe that the CDU has realized this by now. They have metaphorically ridden a horse to death and don't know how to get off anymore."
Is the wage increase justifiable?
For several months, an investigative committee in the state parliament has been dealing with this topic. The issue at hand is whether the wage increase for Weil's employees was permissible. The opposition CDU speaks of a "salary affair" because the regulations of the long-standing administrative practice have been changed for a single person. The State Chancellery rejected the objection several times that the higher payment was not justified.
The wages of the senior Weil employees were increased by 1886 euros gross per month according to the State Chancellery after the probationary period had expired, which is approximately 22,600 euros per year. The employee has been employed in the State Chancellery since February 2023. They are still in the position and continue to receive the higher salary. The next meeting of the Investigative Committee is scheduled for August 8th.
The Investigation Committee in the Lower Saxony state parliament has been actively deliberating over the justification of the wage increase for several months. Stephan Weil, the Minister-President of Lower Saxony and a member of the SPD, has faced criticism from the CDU regarding this matter. The opposition party labels it a "salary affair," claiming that the regulations of the administrative practice were altered solely for a single individual. Despite the CDU's objections being rejected multiple times, the head of government, Stephan Weil, believes that the CDU has now acknowledged this situation. The Investigative Committee is set to reconvene on August 8th to continue its investigation in Hannover.
