The Bishop of Iceland, head of the National Church, will receive a raise of ISK 270,000 (USD 2,600/EUR 2,200) per month, equivalent to 21 percent of her salary, RÚV reports. As a result the bishop’s salary will increase from ISK 1.28 million (USD 12,100/EUR 10,200) to ISK 1.55 million (USD 14,700/EUR 12,400) per month.
The raise will be applied retroactively from the beginning of 2017, meaning Bishop Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir can expect a single payment of ISK 3.24 million (USD 30,700/EUR 25,900) at the beginning of the year.
The Bishop send a letter to the church council in 2015 requesting her wages be reviewed. She received a reply from the council that same year, answering with another letter in which she argued it was unfair to compare her wages to those of government ministers, as her post entails many public duties both in Iceland and abroad, such as that of the president or prime minister.
The church’s two suffragan (assistant) bisphorics will also receive a raise of 27 and 21 percent each. Like the bishop’s raise, they are also retroactive from the beginning of this year, meaning assistant bisphoric Sólveig Lára Guðmundsdóttir will receive a payment of ISK 3 million (USD 28,400/EUR 24,000) at the beginning of the year and assistant bisphoric Kristján Valur Ingólfsson, who left the position in October, will receive an additional ISK 2 million (USD 18,900/EUR 16,000) for his ten months of employment in 2017.
Priests will also receive a significant raise by the council’s ruling, increasing their monthly wages to just under ISK 1.6 million (USD 15,100/EUR 12,800).
