NEWS

Top athletes spared from civil service mobility scheme

Under pressure from opposition parties, the government has agreed to exclude top athletes who have received honorary positions in the public sector from being placed in the mobility scheme.

Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday that he would accept an amendment drawn up by SYRIZA that would exclude athletes who had won honors at a European or World level.

Until recently, athletes finishing in the top eight places at the Olympics were awarded honorary spots in the military and police. About 1,000 enjoyed this privilege. 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.

PASOK MP Giorgos Dolios warned lawmakers that the amendment would not lead to a change in the target of placing 25,000 civil servants in the mobility scheme by the end of the year.

“We accept the change for reasons of national symbolism but we should be clear about what we are voting for: 300 athletes will be excluded but 300 civil servants will have to take their place,” Dolios said.

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