A NEW bill will soon be submitted to Parliament concerning the public sector’s temporary staff, or contract workers, Finance Minister Michalis Sarris announced yesterday.
Talking after the closed House Finance Committee meeting, Sarris said he had informed the Committee on the methods the government would be using to deal with the matter.
He stressed that there was no way for contract workers to be given permanent positions in the public sector, because this would be unconstitutional and illegal.
“The bill will be somewhat altered, to regulate the subject of indefinite contract workers, who were dismissed from the time during which this discussion began until the bill is passed,” said Sarris.
The government’s policy, he added, “is to continue filling the permanent positions in the government, as is demanded by law. However, there is no legal way to give priority to contract workers to fill these positions.”
The minister said that the situation was a difficult one, “which foresees difficult choices and consequences on the families of the contract workers as well as the families of those, who are seeking permanent positions in the government”.
In response to prolonged strike action earlier this year, a bill was submitted by the Finance Ministry and passed by the Plenum, only to be referred back by President Tassos Papadopoulos – which drew anger from contract workers and was seen by some as being connected to the Parliamentary elections last May. Referring to the bill’s history, Sarris said: “We had submitted a bill, which in our opinion was fair and gave a logical order of dismissals, when permanent positions were filled.
“We believe that that bill would have resulted in the best possible limitation of dismissals for indefinite public servants”.
But Sarris promised his ministry would return with a new bill, “which will include procedures, for which, if indefinite contract workers have been fired before the bill was passed, they will be given priority to be re-appointed as contract workers”.
He pointed out however that the government’s policy remained the same: “to continue filling permanent positions in the government, as is demanded by law”.
The minister stressed that he was open to suggestions and officially invited all contract workers’ representatives to visit the Finance Ministry and submit their proposals, “which will be constitutional, legal and will be in accordance to our Constitution and the European Directives”.
The intention, he concluded, was to handle this matter with as much sensitivity as possible, both for the contract workers and the rest of the public.
