Greece’s Two Class Society: Austerity for All, While Some Get Wages Increases

The Memorandum of Understanding, the cuts in wages and pensions concern all Greeks. All nearly all. 500 people working in the public sector, next to deputy ministers and secretary generals of certain ministries will be excluded by the new payroll and receive wages increases instead. Daily “Athesmeftos Typos” revealed that in the ministries of Finance and Administrative Reform those civil servants working next to deputy ministers and secretary generals not only are exempted from the new payroll, but that they receive wages increases between 400 and 700 euro per month. The decisions was published in the Official Gazette of the Greek state.

With the new payroll decreases wages and allowances to civil servants. Except for those belonging to the so-called ‘elite’ of employees, who are often affiliated to political parties.

Adesmeftos Typos claims, that this group of privileged employees belong to the socialist party. The newspaper claims further, that this decision will burden the budget of 2012 with extra 2.1 million euro and the budgets of the following years with 1.8 million euro.

For example, the director of the political office will receive 2.271 euro per month and additional € 700 as special allowance. Independently from whether the director has a university degree or not. A ‘councelor’ will receive 2.146 euro.

The decision will go into effect retroactive from Nov 1, 2011.

The preferential wages become public just a couple of days, after lawyers at the public sector managed to get 15% wages increases, also retroactive from Nov 1, 2011.

The newspaper criticizes the wages increases and thus in times of strict austerity, “in times when many households suffer from unemployment and Greece’s biggest social insurance fund IKA recently borrowed another 200 million euro in order to pay pensions”.

Source: Adesmeftos Typos via News 247.gr

PS In the private sector, the minimum wages dropped below 500 euro per month. Independently from whether the employee has a university degree or not….