With slogans and banners against the loan agreement, municipality workers and civil servants took to the streets on Monday, protesting the measure of ‘labour reserve’ that will forcefully sent home workers with only 75% of their salary and thus as of next month. Municipality workers launched nationwide mobilizations protesting the labour reserve. Many municipality services have been suspended, nurseries are closed and garbage collection is done with problems. Mayors declare that they will send no list with names of workers to go on labour reserve and the government threatens to cut funding to municipalities.
Two ministries have been occupied by protesting civil servants.
70 employees at Health Ministry on labour reserve: their colleagues occupied the ministry on Monday.
Labour Reserve: public administration workers will be sent home with 75% of their salary for one year. After that, they will be either assigned to a new work place -according to demands in understaffed public administration sectors – or will be dismissed.
Public servants occupy Ministry of Agriculture
However, as labour reserve for 2,000 is one of the many preconditions imposed by the Troika and approved by the Greek government, so the 31.5 billion euro loan tranche will be released, the Finance Ministry has already got together a list with the names of 2,000 people to be sent home by next month.
According to Greek media, 800 names refer to civil servants facing disciplinary charges, while 1,200 refer to workers with secondary education. The 1,200 are from sectors of municipality, universities, some ministries and other state institutions.
The Finance Ministry has threatened to cut by 25% the salary of those responsible at state positions who refused to sent lists. From 325 municipalities only 35 have submitted the required lists.
Protesting municipality workers at Athens Municipality
But in fact with or without sent lists, the government will do proceed to sent workers home as it does have the list after the latest census of civil servants. so why the trouble? Just to cross-check.
Nov 20/2012: Work stoppage at municipalities 11am-3pm for morning shift and 3-7pm for afternoon shift. Protest rally at 12 noon Karaiskaki Square.
Unconfirmed reports claim that the number of civil servants of labour reserve will be 25,000 in 2013.
Several municipality workers told state NET TV that they were informed already last week that they’d be on labour reserve.
Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras will allegedly present the list at the Eurogroup meeting tomorrow, Tuesday.
PS I want to see Juncker and Schaeuble reading 2,000 Greek names out loud at tomorrow’s meeting… But some 10 days ago it was reported that the Troika did indeed wanted a list with 2,000 names. No, not the list with 2,059 names of Greeks with bank accounts in HSBC, Geneva branch (Lagarde-List) or 97 Greeks with bank accounts in HSBC, Jersey tax-free heaven branch.
