tagged: banks withdrawing October 2011, emergency property tax, Greece, labour reserve

What’s Up in Greece on Nov 28?

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Very Mix

No, I refuse to start with economy issues and how dramatic the Eurogroup meeting will be tomorrow. Whether they will finally release the 6th aid tranche or whether they will let Greece go eternally bankrupt. The scenarios and catastrophology are endless, and I am really sick and tired of them.

Today is a Black Monday for the majority of 16,000 employees at the public sector as they will be receiving their ‘exit papers’ due to labour reserve measure. Four thousand of them go in immediate retirment as they seem to have completed the working years required for retirement. The rest of 12,000 employees will enter a ‘pre-retirement status’ until the end of 2013. They will go home with 60% of their previous income -already facing cuts with the new payroll – and after two years they will retire. According to Greek press ( zougla.gr among others) these people will have completed 35 years of work and the 55th year of age by 2013.

“Labour reserve” or “Early Retirement”? We should ask the Troika… However at the very end, no matter how you call it, it turns people’s lives, plans and programmes upside-down with an forced decreased income from one day to the next.

Nevertheless, the loan agreement between Greece and its lenders foresees the closure of dozens of public services and the lay offs of thousands civil servants with the aim the Greek state to employ 150,000 less people by 2014.

OECD foresees that the unemployment would reach 18.5% and recession 6%  in 2012 in Greece.

The never-ending plight, that is confusion and injustice concerning the emergency property tax through the electricity bills continues. A circular over circular is been issued by the Finance Ministry and one more circular is due to be issued today or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or … Meanwhile a court in Alexandroupolis (North-East Greece) ruled that the power company DEH should not cut the electricity of 35 people who are unable to pay the tax. If you still have doubts about this tax, seek the 3-member committees of your tax office. The are to be established soon and decide the individual cases – whether people must pay or be exempted. For the time being what is sure is 1) you must pay and correct the mistakes later 2) DEH will cut your electricity after 80 days and not 40 as it was originally planned.

Greeks withdrew 7 billion euro from their bank savings in the month of October.

The fence  at the border between Greece and Turkey will apparently be ready in five months. The fence aims to halt the waves of illegal immigrants to Greece.

The detention of big scale debtors continue. Another businessman was detained by Economic Police unit sin Thessaloniki for owing the state more than 400K euro. The question is whether these detained do pay indeed their debts, or is just much ado about nothing with little substance:A pair of handcuffs and public exposure.

Watch out for the big strike of public and private sector unions ADEDY and GSEE and municipalities on Thursday, December 1st, 2011. All ferries and ships will remain docked on that day because seamen have joined the 24-hours strike as well.