Greece has reportedly told envoys of international envoys that the firing of 2,656 workers at the state broadcaster ERT – suspended by the country’s highest court for now – nonetheless still meets the target of shedding public employees by the end of the summer and that plans are in the works to start firing lots more.
Representatives from the Troika of the European Union-International Monetary Fund-European Central Bank (EU-IMF-ECB) were said to have been given a plan by the government that includes setting up evaluations of 450,000 workers to see who will be fired, and putting monthly bulletins online with progress on the layoffs. .
Greek officials also claim to be on track to meeting the remainder of Greece’s commitments to foreign creditors. “We have achieved the targets set for September regarding forced dismissals,” the document cited by Kathimerini said, adding, “We are determined to move forward with an overhaul of the public sector which is necessary for the establishment of more efficient social services.”
The document reaffirms the government’s pledge to dismiss 4,000 civil servants by the end of this year and put 25,000 into a mobility scheme, which would see workers receiving a reduced salary for a year ahead of possible redundancy, as part of Greece’s pledge to creditors to dismiss some 180,000 people from the civil service between 2012 and 2016.
The reports are also to include details on the progress of disciplinary proceedings against hundreds of civil servants accused of offenses ranging from breach of faith to attempted manslaughter, according to sources.
While workers with good records can be dismissed, disciplinary cases can appeal firings in proceedings that could take years to decide, even for those who don’t go to work, are insubordinate or have committed felonies, including murder, but are still being paid.
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