For which civil servants are thaws increases

By Dimitris Katsaganis

The way is open for increases in the salaries of civil servants for the first time in 12 years.

A provision of the bill brought by the Minister of Interior Makis Voridis to a public consultation on May 10 (“system of targeting, evaluation and reward for enhancing the efficiency of the public administration”), provides that the previous provision of 2015 will be suspended for 2 years. under the SYRIZA government, according to which the personal difference in salaries in the public sector (which has been in force since 2012) will be offset by the increase of the salary scales.

The suspension of the 2015 provision, according to the Voridis provision, will be valid from June 1, 2022 until May 31, 2024, ie for 2 years.

Not only that, but the possibility of “adjusting” the deadline for the suspension is left wide open, a fact that – according to public administration officials contacted by the Capital.gr – could mean extending the period of suspension of the Voridis order, for example until May 2025.

The same sources explain that this suspension leads to a thawing of the salary scales, ie an increase in salaries based on the evolution of the civil servants’ scales.

Thus, for civil servants of university education, an increase of steps is foreseen every 2 years, while for civil servants of secondary education every 3 years. With the suspension of the 2015 provision, first of all, university employees will be able to receive an increase, going up a ladder, while paving the way for an increase in salaries and for secondary education employees.

Circles in the State with good knowledge of what is happening in the salary evolution of employees, report that the beneficiaries of the increases through the freezing of the 2015 provision, amount to more or less 50,000 out of a total of 350,000 administrative employees in the State, ie the increases will be 1 in 7 administrators.

The same sources explain that in 2011, with a memorandum law of the Papandreou government, a single salary was introduced for the entire public (in force since 2012), which led to uniform salaries for all civil servants, regardless of the Ministry and the body in to which they belong.

The single payroll led to a personal difference between the (relatively higher) salaries of many employees before the single payroll and the (lower) salaries after the entry into force of the single payroll.

In order to have a sharp reduction of these salaries, it was foreseen to offset the personal differences first through the abolition of the remaining gifts and then their gradual abolition in 4 “installments”.

After the 1st installment, with a law of the SYRIZA government, “ice” entered the further abolition of the personal difference, as it was foreseen to offset this difference with the further salary development. Thus the personal difference would be offset (or amortized) by the increases that civil servants would receive as they climbed the ladder. In other words, civil servants would not get a raise with the rise of their ranks, or else, even if they rose a ladder, they would not get a corresponding increase. And this until the personal difference is amortized.

This “regime” is valid from 2015 until today.

With the provision provided by the Voridis bill for the evaluation to the public, which brings suspension of the 2015 provision, this offset is suspended, ie “frozen” for 2 years.

Thus, from June 2022 until May 2024, any employee who has a personal difference and goes up a ladder, will receive the corresponding increase in his salary.

Given the pay cuts in the State since 2010, with the reductions-abolitions of Gifts and then the reductions through the single salary, it is the first time since then that increases will be given to the State.