Merkel’s Envoy to Greece Wants Lay-Offs of Municipalities Workers

Posted by keeptalkinggreece

Three thousand employees in Greek local governments do the job of 1,000 Germans. Hans Joachim Fuchtel, the envoy of German Chancellor to Greece, sharply criticized the overstaffed public administration of debt-ridden country.
Speaking at the meeting of 3. Greek-German Assembly in Thessaloniki Fuchtel underlined the problem of state employees’ efficiency:
“There are studies and surveys showing that 3,000 local government workers are needed in Greece, while the same work is carried out by  1,000 municipality workers in Germany. These issues have to be answered, especially for partners who finance procedures in Greece, because it has to be answered why there is not more efficient exploitation of the labour forces and there have to be ways to reduce their numbers,” Fuchtel said.
He underlined that labour forces have to have possibilibies for training in case they would have to change work positions.

Hans Joachim Fuchtel is a member Merkel’s Christian Democrat Party (CDU) at the German Parliament and Deputy Labour Minister. Since December 2011, he is appointed by Chancellor Angela Merkel as Undersecretary for promoting and monitoring programmes to be financed by EU funds, which have not been disbursed by Greece.
PS To tell you the truth I have never understood what is the exact mission of Fuchtel in Greece. From what I read in the Greek press he seems to go around and speak out wise advises. Projects to be financed by EU  funds are practically non-existent as the banks do not do their share in the funding. But he is right. Of course, Greece needs more workers to do what other workers do in Germany.
Because a) Greece is not Germany b) Greek public administration is not well equipped and modernized c) staff in municipalities is oft hired through ‘connections’ to local and national politicians d) Greek staff is not German staff.
Very traditional and very obvious problems of the Greek state. Even my cat knows about them.