Minister to meet rectors in bid to break university strike impasse
Education Minister Constantinos Arvanitopoulos was to meet at 1 p.m. on Friday with university rectors in a bid to break ongoing strike action by administrative staff at two Athens universities which is threatening to sabotage the studies of thousands of students as the institutions remain closed.
Speaking to ANT1 channel earlier on Friday, Arvanitopoulos said another topic of discussion would be improving the management of Greek universities.
The minister insisted that a government plan to induct hundreds of administrative staff from Athens University and the National Technical University of Athens into a so-called mobility scheme of forced transfers and layoffs would not undermine the operation of the two institutions, as the striking staff have argued.
The staff were to meet on Friday separately to decide on the course of their action.
Earlier this week Supreme Court prosecutor Efterpi Koutzamani called on the rector of Athens University, Theodosis Pelegrinis, who has expressed support for striking workers, to take action to reopen the institution or face legal consequences. Judicial sources said similar action will be taken against the academic leadership of the NTUA.
