A new law by the ministry of labor brings back to the public sector about 900 employees who had been fired for misconduct, misdemeanors and crimes.
The Greek government is in the awkward position of having to abide to the law while at the same time trying to delay the return of these perjurers to their posts. The particular bill had been drafted by Labor Minister Giorgos Katrougalos during the previous SYRIZA-ANEL administration.
The perjurers include drug dealers, embezzlers and state doctors who took bribes.
Perjurers are getting paid regularly since the new labor law says that no public sector employee can be fired from the job unless the decision is taken by a disciplinary council at their place of work.
The list of the 903 perjurers who are about to return to their jobs include:
A tax officer who has been convicted to 12 years imprisonment for embezzling 2 million euros from a Chalkidiki tax office.
A tax officer who was the brain of a gang of document forgers.
A tax officer who is charged for selling drugs and firearms.
A municipal worker who has been convicted for repeated perjury.
A state doctor who was caught in the act of receiving a bribe in order to operate on a patient and who was sentenced to one year in prison.
A state doctor who, along with other businessmen, was blackmailing a businessman.
All the above take advantage of the law 4325/2015 drafted by Katrougalos according to which public sector employees cannot be laid off automatically if convicted by civil courts.
Greek General Inspector of Public Administration Leandros Rakintzis, who is responsible for battling corruption in the public sector, said on Mega television on Wednesday that, “There was a law that said if you are facing disciplinary action or you are prosecuted by the criminal courts, you are laid off automatically. The law had some injustices for those facing light disciplinary action for minor misconduct and were laid off automatically. In which case it was felt the law had to be amended.
Rakintzis continued, “but it was amended in a way that all (perjurers) started coming back. The problem could have been solved if disciplinary councils were quicker.”
Asked why disciplinary councils do not convene faster, Rakintzis answered: “Because there was a change in their composition. In the past they were composed of three judges and one administrative employee. Under the Katrougalos law, they added two more administrative employees who have to be elected. In order for the two new council members to be added, there is the time-consuming procedure of the election of the two members.”
Rakintzis added that there is a need for these procedures to be expedited, especially in the health sector, because there are the cases of 60 doctors of the National Health System that are pending. At the moment, he said, the disciplinary council for doctors has not been formed yet.
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