Name an area of Costa Rica that is not at risk for volcanic eruptions, mosquito-borne diseases, flooding, landslides, or affected by high crime rates …. take your time.

There are hardly any, right?

This was part of the highly critical statement published by the Union of Private Sector Businesses today in response to a proposal by the Costa Rican Education Ministry (MEP, in Spanish) to raise salaries for teachers in ‘hardship zones’ of Costa Rica.

The incentive will also cover teachers in areas which lack tubed drinking water and which have high rates of teen pregnancy and/or child mortality, said a report in the main Spanish-language daily, La Nacion.

The hardship salary is the result of a collective bargaining agreement reached by the teacher’s unions, ANDE-SEC y Sitracome, in 2013 and which was to go into effect by 2018.

According to MEP officials, the pay raise will need final sign off by the civil service department as well as the treasury department (Ministerio de Hacienda) before taking effect.

Countering the proposal, private sector leader Franco Arturo Pacheco, head of the Union of Private Sector Chambers and Businesses (Uccaep), said that virtually everyone in the country is affected by such climatic phenomenon as well as safety issues and endemic disease risks, therefore his associates disagree with such incentives.

“What the government should do is concentrate on tackling insecurity, reinforcing prevention measures to prevent more cases of dengue, and educate the population on how to prepare for natural emergency situations, but not to create incentives, otherwise we would need to pay all Costa Ricans (in those areas) those same benefits,” added Pacheco.

The MEP reported that shortly after the beginning of the 2017 school year, at least 3,000 teachers resigned saying their positions were located in remote or dangerous areas. The institution said they would define hardship areas with guidance from health, emergency, and public safety authorities.

“According to the National Emergency Commission (CNE), the entire national territory has high exposure to disasters as a result of heavy rains, such as landslides, floods or mudslides, and at least 33 percent has a high incidence of such emergencies,” said the report in La Nacion. Looks like almost everyone in the MEP might soon get a raise!

Whereas the MEP feels such incentives are necessary to attract and retain quality teaching staff in rural and at-risk areas where both social and daily living conditions may be more challenging, private sector opponents see the move as “abusive” and serving to further concentrate benefits into the hands of privileged unionized sectors.

Pacheco further argued that with the country’s growing deficit, such a measure could not be justified, “Where are the austerity measures and the adjustments that this country needs? Why should Costa Ricans pay these irrational benefits of a few? Without a doubt, these privileges are unnecessary and must be stopped,” he concluded in a public statement.

While no one would argue that public education should be short-changed, many in the country are critical of the bonuses and privileges granted many public sector employees.

“The MEP is the institution that pays the most incentives; its employees have access to 40 different types. Primarily, these are extra payments for additional duties, or for longer working hours. On average, a public education employee receives an additional ¢277,000 (close to $500) on top of their regular salary each month,” said the report in La Nacion.