Civil servants’ job criteria are re-evaluated
New criteria for permanent jobs in the civil service are to be introduced, according to an announcement last week by Interior and Public Administration Minister Costas Skandalidis, who promised the new system would «maintain meritocracy and speed up procedures.» Candidates will now be judged on the basis of a skills test, postgraduate qualifications, knowledge of a foreign language, residence in a municipality with a population of up to 5,000 or residency in a border area, and prior experience in either the civil service or the private sector. Priority in recruitment for temporary posts will be given to people with large families, local residents and the long-term unemployed, as well as the thousands of contract workers who were denied permanent tenure in 2000. A quarter of all positions advertised will be reserved for young candidates without experience. The government is also considering doing away with the age ceiling of 35 for recruitment to the civil service, apart from certain categories where age is a factor in carrying out one’s duties, such as in the fire brigade and for drivers of public transport. The role of the Supreme Council for Personnel Selection (ASEP) is to be strengthened and it will have the power to sanction organizations that violate the rules of recruitment. For the first time, criteria will be graded so that staff can be hired on the basis of merit. For example, lists of successful candidates will be posted for all jobs advertised and candidates will no longer be restricted to one prefecture. Due to the inflexibility of scheduling, written exams will only be required for administrative and economic posts or other jobs requiring special skills such as air traffic controllers and bank clerks. Scores will be upgraded according to the candidate’s degree of education and experience. For example, a candidate receives an additional four points for a PhD, two points for a postgraduate degree, one to six for related experience of six months to 10 years and 20 points if a resident of a border area. Tertiary degree grades are given between 50 and 100 points, as is any second degree relevant to the job. Doctoral degrees directly connected to the job description receive 300 points and a doctorate in another subject gets 150 points. Related experience of up to one year earns five points per month of experience and eight points per month for one to two years. Foreign languages are graded according to proficiency; fluency is worth 70 points, for example. Advertisements for sexual services using children are banned and prison sentences await «all those who try to facilitate sexual acts with minors for profit, through advertisements, images, telephone numbers or electronic mail.»
