More flexibility for gov?t hirings
In a bid to trim public sector salary costs, the government is looking into introducing more flexible forms of employment for civil servants.
According to sources, the Finance Ministry and the Interior, Decentralization and e-Governance Ministry are looking into two ways of making the public sector more efficient while also keeping salary costs lower.
The first option allows public sector employees to stop working for the state and find a job in the private sector for a certain period of time.
If the worker wishes to return to the public service, then this will be possible under the plan being examined.
Sources said that the benefit from such an agreement is that the government will save on wage costs for the time the worker is employed elsewhere and if he chooses to return to the public sector, then the worker will be more experienced.
The second option being considered is switching some public sector employees to part-time employment. This would be done on a voluntary basis, government sources said, adding that it would only concern new employees.
This is seen as helping spread the government?s wage bill more evenly, in line with practices adopted in other countries.
In regard to new hirings, Greece is still considering whether it should adjust the one-for-five rule, which means that one state employee is hired for every five that leave, sources said.
The new rule would involve switching the rule to one for seven.
