The law was passed following a law proposal by DISY and DIKO deputies
File photo.
The ban on filling vacant promotion positions in the public and wider public sector is lifted, with a law voted unanimously by the Plenary of the Parliament. The law was passed following a law proposal by DISY and DIKO deputies.
The Plenary rejected AKEL's amendments that also provided for the lifting of the ban on filling positions of first appointment.
With the law that was passed , promotion positions will no longer need to go to the House Finance Committee for approval.
Speaking at the Plenary Session, DISY MP Haris Georgiadis said that a position that is vacant today was probably created in the 80s. He said the data may have been varied and there should be an evaluation and control mechanism. He said that until 2013 the state payroll was growing at a dizzying, unsustainable rate and that if the AKEL amendment is adopted, approximately three to four thousand positions in the public sector will be opened at once.
DISY MP Averof Neophytou stated that the law proposal is perfectly correct, but in order for it to have value, what happened in the past should not be repeated, where there was pressure on the Finance Committee to unfreeze positions. He also emphasized the need to establish a ceiling for the increase of the state salary. He also noted that when you hire someone in the public sector, you pay him not only until he emigrates, but also his other half.
The General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou said that a serious study should be done on which permanent positions we really need and which ones should be deleted, as well as on what the purchase of services that was followed in previous years cost the state.
AKEL MP Giorgos Loukaidis said that AKEL's proposal represents a large part of the trade union movement. He also criticized the previous government which instead of paying permanent posts, chose to buy services many times over at the same cost but lower wages for workers. He added that if the organizational charts do not meet today's standards, the previous government should change them. He also said that in case there is no universal lifting of the ban there could be a universal lifting for some organizations with increased needs that are in the competition process such as EAC, CYTA, OAY.
AKEL Member of Parliament Andreas Kavkalias said that the debate on any position should be held in the context of the state budget debate, since the positions are budgeted. He stated that AKEL's amendments attempt to lift the ban to apply to first-time positions as well. mainly in ATA and not in new hires. In last year's budget, he said, there were 500 new positions, while only 50 new positions in this year's. The state payroll will be reduced, he said, from 31% to 29%.
DIKO MP Christiana Erotokritou said that the specific DIKO and DISY law proposal was accepted by everyone and by the Ministry of Finance as the best for the stage we are in today and that even the trade unions agreed, while she disagreed with the amendments AKEL.
DIKO MP Chrysanthos Savvidis said that the public service is not efficient because there is no meritocracy in who is hired and promoted.
ELAM MP Linos Papagiannis said that it is not the number and cost of employees that counts, but productivity. He also spoke about a huge gap between high- and low-paid public servants.
EDEK MP Ilias Myrianthous said that this is a simple piece of legislation that simplifies the procedures and facilitates the Finance Committee.
DIPA MP Alekos Tryfonidis said that the proposed law is a first step that will ease the situation, but a proper and thorough check on the budgets must be done.
DIPA MP Marinos Musiouttas said that the positions they are in the budget, they are costed and when they are unfrozen they are not controlled by any Ministry to be paid. He said they would vote for the proposed law without amendments.
Limassol MP Andreas Themistokleous said the disaster in 2013 did not come from the state payroll but from rampant unregulated banking.
The Member of Parliament of Nicosia Alexandra Attalidou said that it would be good for MPs who say about undeserved hiring and some who take phone calls to give names to find out who is destroying the place.
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