On May 1^st, just as millions of workers around the world will take the day off to protest against labor injustices and demand better working conditions, the elected legislators at Costa Rica’s National Assembly will see more money on their paychecks thanks to substantial salary increases.

Three legislators who were vehemently opposed to the increases decided to reject their own raises, but in doing so they run afoul of the law. The legislators in question are Jose Maria Villalta of Frente Amplio, a mostly leftist faction; Victor Emilio Granados Calvo of Partido Accesibilidad sin Exclusion (PASE), a party dedicated to advancing the interests of people living with disabilities; and the current President of the National Assembly, Juan Carlos Mendoza of the opposition party Accion Ciudadana.

According to La Nacion, the executive administration of the National Assembly warned that it would be against the law to refuse the salary increase, particularly because the legislators fall into a certain income tax bracket upon which revenue projections have already been made. For these reasons, the legislators are obligated to accept their raises as part of their duties.

Jose Maria Villalta is not in agreement with the comments from the executive administration, particularly since he had formally rejected his salary increase back in February and no administrative officials questioned his decision.

Legislative salary increases have always been subject to controversy. A couple of years ago, the proposed increase was seen as excessive, while this year’s increase of about $300 per month was in stark contrast to the $10 per month that employees in the public sector received.

Victor Emilio Granados is taking his rejection one step further by introducing a legislative proposal that would allow lawmakers to refuse increases while at the same time raising the wages of government employees.

Juan Carlos Mendoza announced that he will donate his salary increase to an organization dedicated to empower women as entrepreneurs in the rural canton of Acosta, province of San Jose.