More layoffs in public sector

On behalf of the Greek government, administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis insists on the commitments of the memorandum concerning the reform of the public sector, referring to them as a "thorny issue" but also as a "prerequisite" for the disbursement of the remaining tranches of Greece's bailout loan, a fact which has caused a row between him and his colleague, Education minister Andreas Loverdos. Last year 3,600 layoffs were carried out, while another 5,000 were implemented during the first semester of 2014.

Out of the 5,000 public employees in the spotlight for layoffs, 500 were government employees using their status for personal benefit (i.e. accepting under the table cash to pull strings), 1,400 school guards, 2,500 EOPYY (National Organization for Healthcare Provision) employees, 200 municipal police officers, 100 professors of vocational schools (EPAL), 100 from different areas of the public sector, as well as 100 in redundant positions in various Greek ministries.