Pastor Kalniņš: Severance Payments and Pay Gaps Fuel a Sense of Unfairness
Pastor Krists Kalniņš said on the TV24 programme “Preses klubs” that dismissal is especially painful when it feels unfair, a feeling worsened by disproportionate pay in Latvia. He compared an ordinary employee's position with the compensation and benefits received by members of parliament.
Pastor Krists Kalniņš spoke about dismissal in employment on “Preses klubs”, a discussion programme on the Latvian television channel TV24. He stressed that losing a job becomes especially hard when a person feels they have been treated unfairly. According to Kalniņš, that feeling is reinforced by the disproportion of pay in Latvia.
Dismissal as part of working life
Kalniņš noted that no employee can feel completely secure about the future. He said that on any given day a worker may receive an email inviting them to see the boss, only to hear that they have been let go. In his view, this is part of the possibilities inherent in the relationship between employer and employee. The pastor added that people go to work without expecting to stay there for 120 years.
The pay question
He believes that in most cases the greatest pain is linked to unequal pay. As examples he named the Finance Ministry and the Culture Ministry, where he said the issue is topical.
Comparison with parliamentarians
Kalniņš explained that when a dismissed person sees the total amount a member of parliament receives, and is at the same time simply thanked for the work done, a feeling of being wronged arises. He called this painful. He was referring to the various compensations and benefits that, in his words, only the “chosen ones” receive.
The programme excerpt was published on 31 October 2026.
