Mayor’s staff bid rejected
The Interior Ministry on Thursday turned down a request by Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis for the government to extend the short-term contracts of municipal employees carrying out ?essential services? by three years.
Kaminis?s request, which enjoyed the backing of the majority of councilors, would affect some 1,850 staff employed by the capital?s sanitation and child care services.
Interior Ministry officials rejected the request, reports said on Thursday, citing concerns that a positive response could trigger a barrage of similar claims from other municipalities across the country.
Greece?s bailout agreements with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund sanction far-reaching spending cuts across the state sector.
A first batch of short-term contracts at the City of Athens is set to expire on August 13. The remaining contracts are due to end a month later.
Thousands of state workers have lost their jobs over the past year due to the non-renewal of their contracts.
