Civil Servants Get Paid to Walk

They call it the "the marching subsidy", a perk that civil servants around the globe might dream of, but only those in Portugal enjoy - getting paid for walking.

The country's 730,000 civil servants have the right to demand a bonus of 15 cents for every kilometre they walk on the job, El Correio da Manhã newspaper has revealed.

While walking may wear out a certain amount of shoe-leather, officials were unable to explain why the subsidy for putting one foot in front of the other was higher than that given to Portuguese civil servants who travelled on public transport.

The latter receive just 12 cents to cover the cost of each kilometre they travel by bus, tram or train.

Originally devised to compensate 1970s functionaries in rural areas who had to walk long distances, the "marching subsidy" may now disappear with the advent of car pools and departmental fleets of 4x4 vehicles.

Given the choice between taking their perks or avoiding physical exercise, Portugal's bloated civil servants have already opted en masse for the latter.

"It is something that is falling into disuse," admitted Jose Abraao, of the Civil Service Union.

Trade unionists now agree that the subsidy, one of many perks being looked at by the Socialist government as it trims costs, may have to be axed.

Neither Portugal's health officials nor its environmentalists, who might prefer civil servants to burn calories rather than fossil fuels, have yet made an attempt to save the subsidy.