The government is hiring thousands of friends and relatives “through the window”, or irregularly, main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis charged on Tuesday, adding that things have gotten out of control.
In statements, Mitstotakis said that the hirings are occurring in the thousands, as the government is also setting up useless organisations to provide employment for party members, relatives and friends, and he charged that the state’s testing and hiring agency (ASEP) is being manipulated.
According to the ND leader, the government has hired 21,000 people in permanent positions in the public sector, and another 15,000 contract workers, with a total cost exceeding 600 million euros, which is being funded by the meager wages of Greek taxpayers.
He also charged that the government has “tailored recent notices for job openings to specific people in secretariats of ministries, trying to bring the state administration under its control even after it has left governing.” Mitsotakis said the first draft bill of the next government will restore the public administration’s proper operation.
“No civil servant will be laid off; everyone will be evaluated. But we will abolish the unecessary posts SYRIZA is creating, and we will strengthen the general directors, who will be strictly selected on merit. We will open the public sector to people who deserve it,” Mitsotakis said.
