The government is continuing to make last-minute changes to the draft omnibus bill submitted to Parliament on Tuesday. The government is particularly concerned about the unification of auxiliary pension funds as this will affect the members of the armed forces and uniformed emergency services. Yesterday’s amendments to the legislation of the multi-bill aimed to lighten the blow.

The coalition government has already refused to enforce a court decision that rendered 10% slashes to their wages and pensions illegal and called for these to be restored to pre-2012 levels. Now, uniformed officers are seeing their auxiliary pensions slashed by as much as 40 to 50% as a result of the merging of funds by January 1, 2015. High-ranking officers nearing their retirement age are being forced to seek an early retirement in order to be exempt from the new rules.

“4,000 high-ranking officers of the police force with over 25 years of service, from direcrtors to brigadiers, are scrambling for early retirement, destroying the force’s backbone,” said Christos Fotopoulos, head of the Federation of Greek Police Officers (POASY).

The government’s amendments to the legislation yesterday were focused on ensuring that adjustments happen gradually. Labour Minister Yiannis Vroutis reassured Greece’s uniformed personnel yesterday that their social security funds “will maintain their autonomy in full in the management of their current and future fund assets” after being included in the Uniform Supplementary Social Security Fund (ETEA). He added that “the allowances will not be affected”, stating that a so-called “combat effectiveness clause” will safeguard the effectiveness of the armed and security forces during the process and assessing of ETEA’s viability.