Neither institutions nor people such as low-paid families with many children, students, etc. were taken into account. There was no time, as we were told for social dialogue, since the time limits were narrowing dangerously. Thus, the Government and the Parliament, rightly or wrongly, approved the infamous measures of economic consolidation.
One of their arguments was the high salaries in the public and wider public sector that should be reduced to reduce the gap between the public and private sectors. In fact, we were told that wages were cut in the private sector a long time ago.
Since then the bad example of the state as the largest employer imitated a large portion of employers in the private sector.
They lay off, slash wages, do not pay thirteenths, brutally exploit community members and the unemployed with degrading wages and working conditions, and generally do not enforce contract laws without asking anyone. That is, complete disintegration of labor relations and restoration of the working middle age.
Meanwhile, the responsible and serious OEB demands a freeze on salaries and ATA.
And I can still hear the voices of some elected representatives of the people who had, as they said, advocated for the protection of the taxpayer and the low-wage private sector in order to reduce the public-private sector wage gap.
So I say, since the well-elected representatives of the people have caught the ear of both the unions and the public sector workers, they will also catch the ear of some employers who are trying to widen the wage gap between the public and private sectors.
I, too, sat naively after the announcement of OEB for freezing of salaries and ATA, to wait to hear the thunderbolts of the elected representatives of the people, against OEB. I woke up early in the morning, went to the kiosk, picked up all the newspapers to read something, turned on the radio and the television to listen to the news, but unfortunately the elected representatives of the people did not speak or cry.
Then I realized that ONLY the unions (and no one else) are always next to the employee, close to his problems, it is his button whether the financial conditions are good or not. As for the elected representatives of the people (not all) after completing the task assigned to them, they will wait for new missions. Until then, both private and public sector workers will have to be entrenched around their unions. All together, united because their interests are common. And their struggles must be common. Because some will lurk to hurt them. Let us stand in the way. The English methods of "divide and rule" are coming. Let the latest methods of politicians and employers become lessons for us so that we do not have other problems.
Υ.Γ. The above are personal views and express only their author.