Thirteen education administrators earned more than minister

Tekst Arno Kersten - Redactie Onderwijsblad - 26 maart 2021 - 8 Minuten om te lezen

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Moreover, Cito, Surf and a few other publicly funded service providers appear to have not complied with the disclosure obligation, according to an inventory carried out by the Education Magazine in recent weeks.

All institutions and organizations have one thing in common: they fall under the Standards of Top Income (Settlement) Act (WNT), which sets limits for the remuneration of directors and other top officials. This upper limit is equal to the ministerial remuneration: in 2019 a gross amount of 194 thousand euros, including pension and expense allowance. However, they may temporarily exceed the norm if they fall under transitional law: that is, their contract agreements predate the introduction of the rules. They are given time to gradually (over seven years) meet the standard. A total of sixty directors made use of that right in 2019.

In 2019, some sixty directors made use of the transitional law

Thanks to this transitional arrangement, thirteen education administrators will exceed that ministerial wage in 2019: eight in university education, three in MBO and two in HBO. The list is headed by board chairman Anton Pijpers of Utrecht University with an amount of 229.978 euros. Also present is the veteran executive trio of Roc van Amsterdam / Flevovland: Edo de Jaeger, Gerrit Vreugdenhil and Ronald Wilcke (who retired at the beginning of 2020). There is, however, moderate: Three years earlier, De Jaeger earned almost twenty thousand euros more.

In addition to these thirteen, there are three directors who exceeded 194 thousand euros for other reasons. For one driver in MBO and one in HBO, this is because holiday pay from the previous year has been included. A driver in special education crossed the border because of a transition allowance of 113 thousand euros on his departure.

* All remunerations fall under the WNT transitional law. Amounts including expense allowance and pension contribution. Source: DUO & annual reports institutions

The number of administrators who earn more than a minister has declined over the years. In 2018 there were 23 (the maximum was then at 189.000), the year before 45 (maximum: 181.000). The number of drivers who are exactly at the upper limit, up to the euro, is increasing: from four in 2017 and eight a year later, to twelve in 2019. A total of 38 drivers earned at or less than a thousand euros below this standard (193- 194 thousand euros).

The number of drivers who are exactly at the upper limit, up to the euro, is increasing: from four in 2017 and eight a year later, to twelve in 2019

The number of education administrators making use of transitional law has also decreased over the years. In 2017 there were 2019. The most recent list of 17 still has about 15: 11 in WO, 8 in MBO, 8 in primary education, XNUMX in HBO and XNUMX in secondary education. A number of them retired during the year.

These are all directors who earned above their own standards. The Top Income Standardization Act does not only have an absolute upper limit (the minister's salary). Years ago, a system of seven remuneration classes was introduced especially for education, each with its own lower maximum. Educational institutions are classified in one of these classes according to the size and complexity of the organization (turnover, number of pupils / students and number of different educational types or sectors).

Sharpened

Since the introduction of the WNT on January 1, 2013, the rules have been tightened a few times. This happened in 2015 (when the upper limit was lowered from 130 to 100 percent of a ministerial wage) and in 2016 with the class division. Education knows no less than these various refinements three different transitional rights for existing contract agreements, the last of which will even continue in the coming years.

"It is nice that the number of drivers is decreasing above the norm, but it is going slowly," said AObdriver Douwe van der Zweep. "I understand that you cannot intervene on contract agreements, but it is frustrating that we are still dealing with rewards far in excess of XNUMX euros."

It is frustrating that we are still dealing with rewards well above two tons

There is another reason why board benefits above 201 will not disappear at all: the caps are being raised every year. Last year, the ministerial remuneration for the first time amounted to 2021 thousand euros, this year (209) the maximum will increase to 3,5 thousand euros. In the entire class system, the maximums have increased by an average of 4 to 9.000 percent per year in recent years. In absolute euros it makes a significant difference: in the lowest salary class the maximum this year is 2019 euros higher than in 15.000, in the highest category (the minister's salary) the increase is 2017 euros. Since 28, the ceiling in this class has increased by XNUMX thousand euros gross.

Source: Law bench

For the WNT increase, the contractual wage development in the government is monitored, as determined by the Central Bureau of Statistics. The amount is then rounded up to whole thousands. A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior previously stated to the Education Magazine that this was once decided 'because a round amount is more practical in implementation and communication. Moreover, no objection was seen in it, because the remuneration maximum is a ceiling and not an actual wage increase '.

AObdirector Douwe van der Zweep refers to criticism that he two years ago already expressed. As far as he is concerned, the WNT standards are rising far too fast. “It is not said that drivers automatically ascend. But the top of the wage structure is creeping up further and further and, in terms of euros, it is moving further and further away from the workplace. ”

Cito and stuff

Not only educational institutions, but also sector-related organizations such as Nvao, Surf and the employers' umbrella organizations fall under the WNT. For them, only the ministerial standard applies as the absolute upper limit.

Of these twenty publicly funded organizations, Cito pays its bosses the best: with just under 194 euros, not one but two board members in 2019 earned just a few tens less than a minister. Nvao chairman Anne Flierman - converted to a full appointment - is also close to the upper limit, as is Mieke Zaanen, general director of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Among the employer umbrella organisations, Pieter Duisenberg of the Vsnu earns the most, with a remuneration of more than 191 thousand euros.

Incidentally, this group of organizations is also moderate. In 2014 still earned fourteen top officials more than a minister. The standard was a lot lower at the time, but the salaries rose to well over XNUMX euros.

* Converted from part-time to full-time. Amounts including expense allowance and pension contribution. Source: DUO & annual reports organizations

It is striking that a number of organizations do not comply with all the rules when checked by the Education Magazine. The WNT obligated Institutions have been actively publishing their remuneration data for a period of seven years since the beginning of 2018, starting from the 2017 reporting year. This information must be freely accessible and easy to find online. This is not the case at Cito, Surf, the Platform Béta Techniek Foundation and the Cooperation Organization for Professional Education Business (Sbb).

Cito responds with a reference to DUO and to the Chamber of Commerce, where the annual accounts are available for inspection. However, the DUO data portal is not a self-publication (in addition, all remunerations are anonymised by DUO). And at the Chamber of Commerce you have to pay to view documents and you need an account. In a second response, the spokesperson indicates that they will first make inquiries themselves. 'We have assumed that it is not an absolute obligation to subsequently publish WNT data via our website.' Finally, shortly before the conclusion of this story, a new e-mail arrives from the spokesperson. Following the email exchange and 'with a view to transparency', Cito has put the annual accounts online posted.

Cito: 'We have assumed that it is not an absolute obligation to publish WNT data via our website'

Surf comes with a different explanation. The cooperative would not fall under the WNT, a spokesman initially said. “We follow the WNT on a voluntary basis.” Pointing to the fact that Surf does indeed fall under the WNT, the spokesperson comes with a second reading: web pages have been overhauled and the 'harmonization and updating' has not yet been completed. "The site has therefore not yet been supplemented with the publication of our annual accounts, but you rightly point out that this is mandatory." Not much later, Surf announces that the annual accounts are still online put. That is also the case with the Platform Béta Techniek Foundation happened.

Sbb does not initially respond to emails at all. But questions about this have been posted internally, says head of communications Jenneke Desain when the Education Magazine calls three days later. “It is true that that information should have been online. We will make sure that this still happens. Your message is a wake-up call in that regard. ”