The barbers working at the Italian parliament building have had their wages shaved by €37,000 – which means that the long-serving state-employed haircutters will still earn up to €99,000 per year.
The country, which is struggling from an economic depression, has agreed to cut back on the wages of a host of state employees – parliamentary aides, who previously earned €358,000 have seen that recuded to €240,000, while technicians went from €152,000 to €106,000.
All employees affected by the wage cut will see it imposed in phases over a number of years, to allow them to adjust to changes in lifestyle.
The BBC reports that the cuts have been seen as underwhelming in Italy; a commenter on the Today website said, "Even the new figures make your head spin," while a tweeter pointed out "The parliament barber will earn only €7,600 a month."
The cuts have also received wide-spread from the country’s civil servants’ union, the Federazione Lavoratori Pubblici e Funzioni Pubblici (FLP).
Union spokesman Roberto Cefalo told The Local website that the capping of barber’s pay at €99,000 was an example of “unjustified priveleges.”
“But this is not the true Italian civil servant,” he said. “There are hundreds of thousands of people who work every day to guarantee security, services, justice and social support.”
