Palma reviews salaries of around 3,000 employees – fairness, costs and risks

Palma reviews salaries of around 3,000 employees – a step that must be more than symbolism

In Palma the town hall has announced a large-scale review of salaries: almost 3,000 employees of the municipal administration are to be the subject of an external report this year. The official message sounds simple and reasonable: create transparency, evaluate tasks uniformly, ensure fairness. The central guiding question, however, is: will a report actually lead to tangible improvements for employees — or will many recommendations remain paper tigers?

Who is affected — and why now?

Employees across the municipal administration are affected: from citizen service centers to technical departments and administrative offices at Plaça de Cort. In particular, staff in citizen service offices are in focus — the people who often see long queues in summer while scooters honk and tourist groups move through the old town. The argument is that workload and task mix in these areas have changed in recent years. Many positions have evolved historically and no longer match everyday realities. This shift has been discussed in reporting such as Two Palmas: Why the wage gap in Palma is growing — and what should happen now.

Analysis: what public debate often overlooks

There is more than a single table of job titles and pay grades. Three aspects are frequently overlooked:

1. Financing and prioritization: A report can give recommendations, but the city has to provide the money. In times of tight budgets this means: who will be considered first — the overburdened citizen service centers or the departments with technical projects? For context on municipal spending decisions see €624 million for Palma: Big Money, Many Open Questions.

2. Ongoing increases instead of one-off payments: One-off bonuses appease but do not solve structural inequalities. Permanent reclassifications cost more year after year, but they are more sustainable and prevent turnover.

3. Qualitative measurement of work: Workload is not measured only by the number of visitors at the counter. Complexity, responsibility, night shifts during events, handling legal inquiries — all of this must be captured in an evaluation, otherwise the result remains superficial.

Risks and side effects

The political sensitivity should not be underestimated. Negotiations with trade unions can take months, as procedures at the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Public Function show. The risk: disappointed expectations lead to lower motivation, applications dry up, and the consequences are higher staff turnover and longer waiting times for residents. Delays may also occur if recommendations get stuck in budget discussions.

Concrete opportunities and solution-oriented steps

An expert report offers a chance — if the city uses the result strategically. Concrete proposals:

1. Pilot project for citizen service centers: For example, pilot the citizen service centers first. There workloads and problems are visible: long queues in summer, complex applications, frequent follow-up questions. A successful pilot creates legitimacy for further steps; similar local reporting has highlighted these pressures in recent coverage such as Two Palmas: Why the wage gap in Palma is growing — and what should happen now.

2. Clear, public criteria: The evaluation matrix of the report must be published: which criteria count, how are points awarded, how are weightings justified?

3. Phased implementation: A step-by-step action plan with time windows and budget anchoring reduces the risk of financial surprises and increases planning security.

4. Sit down with the trade unions: Early involvement reduces conflict. Binding interim steps are better than vague promises.

5. Not just money: Additional pay is important, but non-monetary measures also help: training, regulated break times, shift relief during peak season, digital forms to reduce routine tasks.

What does this mean for residents and citizens?

In the short term, little will change: counters remain open and documents will continue to be issued. In the medium term, fairer pay could stabilize the administration, stop staff departures and thereby improve service quality. A recent conversation over a café con leche on Passeig del Born symbolized this hope: an employee said they wanted recognition — not only on their payslip, but also in clear career paths and less bureaucratic burden. This hope is reflected in reporting such as Palma's mayor is not the top earner: Who on the Balearic Islands really earns more.

The salary review is not a photo-op on Plaça de Cort. It can become a meaningful tool for more justice — if the city sets concrete priorities, remains transparent and has the courage to not only publish recommendations but to implement them.