One driver isn’t enough for government ministers

Far-reaching cutbacks? Ministers receive permission for extra driver in part-time capacity, Full-time drivers earn NIS 12,000 per month

Reuters | Published: 05.13.13, 11:41

Even as the government demands the public tighten its belt, Israel’s ministers have requested and received permission to keep on unnecessary employees in privately appointed posts, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday.

Ministers recently received permission from the Civil Service Office to hire a second driver on part-time status. Each of these replacements earns NIS 6,000 per month.

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Every government minister is allowed to keep on a personally-appointed driver – i.e. a commissioned position, similar to a bureau manager or communications consultant. The driver is considered a confidant of the minister, as he is privy to the minister’s schedule, meetings and conversations – both public and private.

The position is demanding, yet when the minister is abroad (and many ministers spend hundreds of days within their terms abroad), the driver does not work, but continues to receive a full salary, in addition to 21 vacation days per year and sick days according to law.

When the driver is on vacation or sick, they can be replaced by a driver from the pool of government drivers. Every ministry has at least three drivers authorized to drive the minister – and many ministries have even more.

But the ministers do not like having strangers drive their car or become privy to their private conversations, so they pressed the Civil Service Office to allow them to keep another appointed driver on-staff, part-time.

Many of the government’s ministers have already taken advantage of this privilege. The part-time driver earns 6,000 monthly before tax, yet the cost of his salary is almost double – it includes a pension, an advanced study fund, two years of convalescence pay, clothing and at times, accommodations as well.

“Because the driver is one of the minister’s appointed positions, and due to the security and safety issues, it was already decided several years ago to allow the hiring of a second driver part-time,” the Civil Service Office stated in response. “The Civil Service office thus has not changed any rules in regard to the scope of the ministerial drivers.”