Shock for several pensioners
The State General Accounting Office is demanding from pensioners the return of retroactive amounts that correspond to salaries higher than those to which they were entitled if they continued to work wider public sector entities after their retirement.
Although the relevant agencies and the legal departments of the entities were not aware of or did not implement the changes to the uniform salary as they were supposed to in 2015 and continued to pay the concerned salaries significantly higher than those stipulated, the employees are the ones who are now called, years later, to return amounts that may exceed 25,000 to 30,000 euros each.
As long as they are still working, they should automatically return to the entry level pay scale. Although some cases have already been taken to court, with workers citing financial hardship, the issue has resurfaced, mainly due to a circular from the Court of Auditors last June calling on those employed in the wider public sector to declare on a six-month basis any additional fees and income received from other jobs or from pensions.
The circular refers to a law passed in 2015, stating that a necessary condition for the recognition of previous services is that they have not been used for the granting of any other financial benefits or for the recognition of pension rights. The competent services of the Ministry of National Economy, lawyer Thanos Bourlos, explains to Kathimerini, interpret the provision in such a way that, if a main pension is awarded to a public sector employee who wishes to continue to be employed, he must be placed on the payroll rank of a newly appointed employee.
In fact, if the redeployment does not take place immediately, the affected employees must return the resulting difference for the entire period, from retirement to redeployment.
As the specialized lawyer considers, of course, the provision refers to a process of recognition of prior service and, therefore, concerns the recognition of existing prior service to another employer, in the context of a new hire, and cannot also concern the case of service to the same employer.
