The Greek government has announced that it will rehire 2,500 seasonal firefighters for the 2024 fire season.
The announcement was made by Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Evangelos Tournas, who said that the measure was necessary to "effectively address the protection of those affected by natural disasters."
The rehired firefighters will cover the 2,500 positions of seasonal firefighters, according to the operational plan of the Fire Service.
In addition, the amendment provides for the regulation of various procedural issues related to the category of five-year compulsory service firefighters, with particular reference to the provision for a five-year extension of the term of office of those hired in 2019.
The amendment also covers the gap that arose with the transfer of all employees of the Directorate of State Aid, the General Directorate of State Aid and Aid, from the Ministry of National Economy and Finance to the newly established General Secretariat for the Restoration of Natural Disasters and State Aid, which falls under the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection as regards the payment of the incentive for achieving fiscal targets.
The payment of the incentive is extended to all employees of the Directorate of State Aid, it is clarified that it continues to be paid to them for the whole of 2023, while a special procedure is provided for, by way of derogation and for a certain period of time, namely until 31 December 2024, concerning the secondments and transfers of employees of the General Secretariat for the Restoration of Natural Disasters and State Aid of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, for which the prior consent of the Minister is required.
The president of the Free Movement Zoe Konstantopoulou, in her intervention, stated that "we consider this first initiative, as regards the seasonal firefighters, to be positive in principle. However, we insist on filling all the organic vacancies and on utilizing all the human resources that have been offering their lives with self-sacrifice for years for civil protection and firefighting and for the protection of human life in general" and reserved the right to comment specifically on the amendment as a whole, after studying it in detail.
SYRIZA MP Christos Giannoulis, reserving the right to study the provisions, asked to be informed "if they will be fully integrated into the country's fire protection and not only, for the period we are about to enter."
The Deputy Minister replied that "these amendments are coming now and are part of the preparations for the fire season. The preparatory work has already started since November. There is enough time to proceed for the seasonal firefighters as well. A strategic plan is being implemented and we are continuing on this basis this year as well."
(Source: AMNA)
