Περί κατάργησης της πρόωρης συνταξιοδότησης των γυναικών στο Δημόσιο

Μεγάλο θέμα και μεγάλη κουβέντα έγινε γύρω από το θέμα της κατάργησης της πρόωρης συνταξιοδότησης των γυναικών στο Δημόσιο και την απόφαση του Ευρωπαϊκού Δικαστηρίου. Για το θέμα αυτό, μου ζητήθηκε μια συνέντευξη από το αγγλόφωνο ραδιόφωνο του Δήμου Αθηναίων, το Athens International Radio, 104,4, στην πρωινή ενημερωτική εκπομπή της κα Αμπατζάκη και του κ. Γιαλούρου, 29-3-09. Να, τα όσα ειπώθηκαν...

1. What are the main differences between the existing system and what the court wants done?

The main philosophy of the European Court decision is that Greek law’s regulations concerning women’s early retirement consist gender inequity for men and this must change. For women affected by this Decision, the elimination of those early retirement regulations means that they ‘ll have to stay at work for 5 more years up to even 17 years for some cases, comparing to what it stands today.

2. Who stands to lose from a revision of these laws?

Let us make clear that the decision concerns women working in Public Sector and in Military and Police Corps. Women working in the 2 sectors we mentioned, are around two hundred and forty thousand in total. For women who are below 50 years old, and this is the fifty five percent of them, which means around 130.000, the status will change and they won’t have the right on early retirement regulations any more. For the rest of them, around 106.000 women who are above 50 years old, status is not expected to change, since they are closer than 5 years to their retirement time, so they are considered to have, as they say, “mature retirement rights” and therefore the present status is not expected to change for them.

3. Is there anything the Greek state can do to maintain the status quo?

Since we are talking about a European court decision, we have to promptly adopt. We must change this status; otherwise we will be obliged to pay huge penalties. What we can do right now and for the next two months is to negotiate with European Commission, to reach an agreement on the exact measures and legislation required in order to implement the Decision. Another point of negotiation might be the adoption of a transition period of some 1 to 2 years.

4. Can the state in some way balance out the prerogatives that will be lost with other measures, for example making life easier for mothers while children are still young?

I believe this is one of the most critical points in a modern society, as we discussed some days ago. I believe that our society has to boost and help women to enter the workforce and have equal chances for a career. The period during which a woman needs help and support is when children are young. And that is when social and financial aid must be driven, by amplifying the infrastructure, such as kindergartens, by taking measures such as help at home, mother’s leaves etc. And I would say that all these, must be available for working fathers as well (such as single fathers or to the one parent, according to couple’s choice). We have to protect and adopt equality as well.

5. On a personal level what will you lose?

I won’t lose anything, since I work in the private sector, as an engineer in chemical industry, and I always had to retire at my 60’s or after 35 years of work. But since I graduated from the University on time, at 5 years, and I started working at my 23, I won’t be able to retire after 35 years of work, but I’ ll have to work for 2 more years in order to reach my 60’s, that is 37 years of work in total!