The Greek government offers to hire survivors of the July Athens wildfires in the public sector. With a Ministerial Decree issued on Thursday, exactly one month after the tragedy that cost the life of 96 people, the government offer jobs to relatives of victims and survivors. That is also to those who were hospitalized in intensive care units as well as to those who can prove invalidity of more than 67% due to severe injuries they suffered on 23. and 24. July 2018.
The offer is valid for one member of a victim’s family only, that is a spouse, a child or a person with whom the victim had a civil partnership agreement.
If the wildfires survivors cannot accept the hiring due to health reasons, the right is transferred to a family member as mentioned above.
Beneficiaries can be appointed to public administration, municipalities and bodies of the broader public sector except to utility companies.
The decision triggered an outrage as it was noting that beneficiaries must “abolish their rights for financial compensation.”
The Ministerial Decree states that the application for appointment entails the automatic and irrevocable resignation by the applicant of any financial claims and the suspension of his/her pension entitlement as for the date of the hiring.
It should be reminded that relatives of people who lost their lives in the wildfires have filed lawsuits against the Greek state.
Media and internet users described the financial compensation part of the hiring as “bribe” and opposition parties attacked the government.
Later on Thursday, Minister for Administrative Reform Olga Gerovassili clarified that the abolition of financial claims refers “only to any pension the applicant receives and the suspension of pension entitlement.”
“That is, the obvious,” the minister said in a statement “that someone who for any reason receives some form of pension (eg for disability), if he chooses to be appointed, will be remunerated with his salary as being hired by the State. “
Therefore, there is no offset whatsoever against any other claims or damages to which the person concerned is entitled, and, of course, the person appointed is not deprived of any legal right to go to court for financial claims, the ministry added.
brilliant, just what we all need!