Leaked salary information incites online debate

The salary information of civil servants in Lengshuijiang, Hunan province, which was revealed on the Internet on Monday, has aroused heated discussion online.

According to the disclosed information, the vast majority of local civil servants earn 2,001 to 4,000 yuan ($330 to $660) a month, Nandu.com reported on Tuesday.

Due to simple password settings, netizens easily obtained the salary information from the website of a local finance bureau's wage center, which contains the wage information of 227 government organs and public institutions.

According to the data downloaded by netizens, the salary level of most local civil servants in December was between 2,00l and 4,000 yuan. For example, 84 percent of civil servants in the bureau for letters and calls earned 2,001 to 3,000 yuan.

A netizen named "dance angel V" commented on the Tianya forum "the salary is so low that the civil servants can't afford to buy a home until the next life".

Other netizens suggested the salary is only part of the workers' total income, not including welfare, health benefits and other subsidies.

Chen Juzhen, Party chief of Zhulin town, Hubei province, said he only earns 2,400 yuan each month, saying, "Any migrant worker earns more money than me." His comment triggered hot discussion on the Internet.

Although many civil servants complain their salary is low, about 990,000 candidates took the national public servant exam in 2013, according to the State Administration of Civil Service.

The popularity of the exam has been attributed to the pressure in finding employment and the attractiveness of civil service jobs, which are stable and respected.

By 11 pm on Monday, the salary information on the local financial system website had been viewed 1,773 times.

Wen Xinzheng contributed to this story.

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