After twice being forced to back down, the administration of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras this week will try again to pass legislation that cuts the pay and benefits of Parliament workers as it has with other Greek workers.
After the parliamentary staff said it would walk out of pending debates on spending cuts and tax hikes and put a halt to any vote, the government relented, but Samaras said he would not give up.
While many Greeks have been beset with big pay cuts, tax hikes and slashed pensions, the parliament’s workers have enjoyed relatively higher salaries and benefits for what critics said amounts to little or no work.
The new legislation set to be introduced on Jan. 14 will limit the workers to 52 hours of overtime a month although the parliament is often not in session. The Speaker of the House will have to approve any changes and the parliament workers will have the same pay and benefit schedule as Finance Ministry workers.
The vote will come only a few days after the Parliament easily approved big new tax hikes, primarily on the middle class, along with reforms that eliminate advantages for the self-employed.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
