Cleaning staff and drivers at the Greek Embassy in Ankara are threatening to sue over unpaid wages, as the effects of the Greek financial crisis hit its Foreign Ministry hard, a Greek weekly newspaper has reported.
According to Greek weekly newspaper Proto Thema, the economic crisis – the largest in the country’s history – has the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs cutting back on expenses. This is leaving many embassies around the world without basic necessities such as heating and internet service.
The Greek ambassador to Turkey has denied allegations that the cleaning staff and drivers at the Greek Embassy in Ankara are threatening to sue over unpaid wages.
All embassy employees are receiving their salaries in a proper manner despite the effects of the Greek financial crisis, Ambassador Fotios-Jean Xydas claimed on Tuesday.
“According to decisions made by the government [due to the economic crisis], there were some cuts in the [diplomats’] salaries, but not for the local staff, because they have contracts,” Xydas said.
The Greek ambassador to Turkey said, however, that the local staff is happy working at the embassy in Ankara.
“The Greek Embassy in Ankara is the biggest Greek embassy abroad. We employ about 65 people. Of them, 16 are local staff with contracts. None of the cleaners or drivers has problems, because their salaries are always paid on time,” Ambassador Xydas said.
“We, regular diplomats, don’t have contracts. Salaries were cut, not only for Greek diplomats, but also for many Portuguese, Spanish and Irish colleagues. We understand this and don’t complain,” he added.
“Being a big embassy, we have expenses in electricity, heating – all those sort of things. [But] bills are paid on time. We don’t owe anybody,” the ambassador said.
Many have also been late in paying their employees, angering their staff.
At some embassies, Greek diplomats are paying the bills and doing the chores to keep the facilities up and running.
The embassy in Russia is among those that have been unable to provide paychecks for their staff; without cleaning workers, the task has fallen to the diplomats themselves. The Greek Embassy in Ukraine is unprotected, as its police staff was not paid.
Billing complications have left at least five embassies with no electricity, heating or internet service, Proto Thema reported, adding that many have received only 7 percent of the funds necessary to run an embassy. Traditionally, 25 percent of the money needed to meet an embassy’s yearly spending is provided by the Ministry at the beginning of the year.
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