The Left Party faction in the Saxon State Parliament wants to require the State Media Authority to be transparent. The goal is to dispel allegations of wasteful spending, explained State Representative Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg, referring to a bill proposed by her faction. In addition to high real estate costs, the in-house collective bargaining agreement of the Saxon State Agency for Private Broadcasting and New Media (SLM) has come under particular criticism because, like the managing director’s compensation, it exceeds the salary levels of the public sector.
State Media Authority Should Generally Hold Public Meetings
“We want to ensure that the Media Council and the SLM Assembly generally hold public meetings, and that their composition, agendas, attendance lists, and meeting outcomes are published. An annual report and the audited financial statements should also be disclosed,” explained the Left Party politician. Furthermore, pay scales as well as agreements outside and above the standard pay scales must be transparent.
Compensation should be commensurate with duties and performance
“In the future, the Media Council must monitor all compensation. In doing so, it must ensure that such compensation is proportionate to the duties and performance of a public-law institution and is aligned with the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement applicable to the public service of the federal states,” Neuhaus-Wartenberg continued. The draft bill implements the requirements of the Court of Auditors. The salary structures as well as the compensation of the managing director should be aligned with the collective bargaining agreement for the state civil service.
The Saxon Court of Auditors had repeatedly criticized the SLM’s financial management. “Key findings from the previous audit were not implemented by the SLM and therefore continue to apply with respect to the audit period from 2015 to 2022. Specifically, the accumulation of high unspent funds and reserves, the risk of overfunding the SLM through membership dues, and high employee compensation that lacks sufficient legal justification continue to be observed,” according to the most recent audit report from 2025.
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