Older civil servants lined up for labor pool
After much deliberation, the government has decided to place civil servants close to retirement on the list of those who will join a labor standby pool, part of an effort to downsize the public sector and reduce spending.
The issue of placing public sector workers in a labor reserve has proved troubling for the government, which appears reluctant to cause trouble with civil servants, many of whom have supported PASOK in the past.
However, according to sources, the plan finalized yesterday is certain to create consternation among older members of the civil service as it foresees a total of 28,000 workers who are over the age of 53 and have worked for the state for at least 33 years being placed on standby.
This means that their wages will be reduced by 40 percent and after one or two years, depending on what position they have filled, they could be fired. If they are not sacked, they will have to be rehired.
The government also indicated that in the cases of those who are sacked, the positions they fill will be scrapped. This is significant as the Constitution does not allow a civil servant who fills a position that has been created by law to be fired. However, if the position does not exist, then nobody can be employed for that role.
Ministers have also decided to reduce from 104 to just eight the amount of supplementary pay packages that civil servants could receive. These perks differed from department to department and were to a large extent responsible for the discrepancies in pay between public sector workers.
By scrapping them, the government is smoothing the path for a move toward a unified pay structure in the civil service. It will also lead to most civil servants? pay being reduced.
