Permanent and temporary employees working in the support programs of the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth during a protest rally at the Ministry on Wednesday morning.
A delegation of protesters submitted a memorandum to the Director General of the Ministry of Education, Marios Panagidis.
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Upon receiving the memorandum, Mr. Panayides stated that “we are in contact and working together with the representatives of all employees and the unions.” “We are trying to help and address all the problems,” he added.
“Legislation was passed a short while ago to convert the contracts of those who are eligible to permanent contracts, and we are working to address all the issues that can be resolved through this legislation with a very positive attitude,” he emphasized.
“There are procedures that we are following. There is legislation that has been passed, and we will implement it,” said the Director General of the Ministry of Education. “Our goal is to issue the calls for applications as soon as possible so that we can implement the programs,” he added.
“The Ministry wants to implement its existing programs, and the goal is to hire—in addition to those who have been given permanent positions—the remaining fixed-term employees, always in accordance with the Ministry’s needs,” he explained.
Responding to a point raised by Andreas Markidis, a member of the protesters’ delegation, that the employees have not been paid since June, Marios Panagidis said that this is a matter for the Ministry of Labor, adding that the Ministry of Education has sent the list of names of those eligible to receive unemployment benefits.
At the same time, he noted that the Ministries of Education and Labor are reviewing legislation to convert fixed-term employees to permanent status, pointing out that “we are in constant communication with the Ministry of Labor to find solutions to these issues.”
Responding to Mr. Markidis, who stated that if he remains unpaid, he will file a complaint with the European Commission—which provides funding for the support programs— Mr. Panagidis said that he has every right to take that action.
On behalf of the protesters’ delegation, Eugenia Andreou stated that “we have been serving in these support programs for years and are asking for the obvious: recognition of our actual service and contribution.” “Many of us were deliberately moved from program to program by decisions of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs itself,” she added.
Nevertheless, he continued, “today our service is fragmented by program, and many colleagues remain outside the permanent employment system through no fault of their own and with no guarantee of what they will they’ll be working next year.”
“At the same time, employees who are now considered to be on permanent contracts have been without any substantial income since May, because during the previous school year they were still working under a different status, and there was no timely and clear regulation regarding what would happen over the summer,” Ms. Andreou pointed out.
“The procedures for unemployment benefits do not kick in immediately upon the expiration of the contract. As a result, workers with families and financial obligations are left for months without a salary and without benefits,” she added.
“We are requesting an immediate meeting with all relevant authorities so that these issues can be raised, concrete answers can be provided, and we can move forward without further delay toward substantive and practical solutions,” said Ms. Andreou. “We are not asking for favors; we are asking for an end to job insecurity, for our total years of service to be recognized, for our job security to be guaranteed, and for procedures to be put in place that function in a timely, fairly, and transparently for everyone,” she emphasized.
Elena Mitella, a permanent teacher, stated that teachers on indefinite-term contracts are “an unprecedented category that did not exist until now—that is, teachers on indefinite-term contracts with 9-month contracts,” noting that regular permanent teachers—that is, morning teachers—are paid a 12-month salary.
“On April 21, they converted us to permanent teachers, but we are not entitled to unemployment benefits, since we hold the title of permanent teacher but are not given a 12-month salary,” said Ms. Mitella. “Therefore, we find ourselves in a ‘ghost’ category, unable to receive our pay or claim unemployment benefits since we do not have an active contract,” she noted, adding that permanent teachers are waiting for the Director General of the Ministry of Education to find a solution so they can receive benefits during the summer months.
Source: CNA
