On poverty-stricken Mayotte, a lucky few still enjoy the ‘supplément colonial’
In France’s overseas territories and départements, civil servants and other state employees continue to be paid vastly superior salaries compared to what they would receive on the mainland. It is a legacy of what was called the “supplément colonial”, a financial incentive to work in the country’s far-flung colonies. In modern times, the generous remunerations appear in stark contrast to the often dire social and economic conditions of local populations. In this report, one of a four-part series, Julien Sartre travelled to France’s poorest département (county), the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, where almost 80% of the population live in poverty, and where the salaries of the fonctionnaires from the mainland are bumped up by 43%.
DuringDuring the period when France’s 12 current overseas territories and départements were among its many colonies, the salaries paid there to civil servants and a number of other state employees were substantially higher than those paid on the mainland. Known as the “supplément colonial” it was intended as an incentive to attract candidates to civil service and other public sector posts in the far-flung lands.
