NEWS

Olympians won’t be spared from civil service transfers

Greek athletes who were awarded honorary posts in the public sector after performing well at the Olympics and other major sporting events have been told they would not be exempt from the civil service mobility scheme.

Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met on Friday with Hellenic Olympians Association representatives and, according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, told them that close to 1,000 athletes who have positions in the civil service might not keep their jobs in the latest overhaul. The government has to place 25,000 public sector workers in a mobility scheme by the end of the year and must fire another 15,000 by the end of next year.

Until recently, athletes finishing in the top eight places at the Olympics were awarded honorary spots in the military and police. Since 2010, the beneficiaries have had to fulfill their duties to keep the positions. The state stopped awarding civil service places to athletes in the same year.

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