Interior Minister Yiannis Ragousis on Thursday denied that there was any difference of opinion between Finance Minister Yiorgos Papakonstantinou and himself on whether employees should first be assessed by the Supreme Council for Staff Selection (ASEP) before being transferred from a public-sector service or agency due to be downsized or abolished to another public-sector job.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament, Ragousis noted that transfers were being treated as new hiring and an evaluation process was essential. He challenged main opposition New Democracy to adopt a position on whether employees that failed such assessment should continue to burden the Greek tax-payer's pocket.
He also clarified that employees with prior disciplinary offences would no be eligible for transfer and left open the possibility of an assessment of public services and civil servants.
The minister said that once the draft bill of e-government was passed the 'income and assets' statements of MPs will be posted on the Internet, in collaboration with Parliament President Philippos Petsalnikos and Parliament vice-president Evangelos Argyris.
Ragousis also referred to the prompt action taken by the government in October 2009 to reduce the number of public-sector staff, whose numbers had been slashed by roughly 100,000 people by the failure to renew temporary 'stage' contracts and a freeze on new hiring, saying that this was one of the reasons why there was now less pressure on the government from the EU-ECB-IMF troika to immediately fire 200,000 people from the public sector.
ANA
