Court reportedly rules cuts to army and police wages were unconstitutional
The Council of the State has reportedly ruled that cuts made to the wages of members of the armed forces and emergency services in August 2012 were unconstitutional and that the government must pay the salaries it withheld back to those affected by the austerity measure.
It was not immediately clear how much the government would have to pay back but the coalition indicated it would wait for the decision, apparently taken by a plenary of judges at the country’s highest administrative court, to be made public.
Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the government would respect the court’s decision but that it would have to be made official first.
Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said that the decision would not change the fact that the coalition is facing severe fiscal constraints.
“No matter how many court decisions there are, we won’t suddenly be able to generate money,” he said on Monday morning.
Groups representing armed forces, police, fire service and coast guard personnel launched their appeal against the wage cuts in January 2013.
The court’s decision is expected to be made public in the next three months.
