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After protests, Greece to extend some firefighter contracts

After protests, Greece to extend some firefighter contracts | iNFOnews.ca
A firefighter cover his face with a scarf during a protest outside the parliament amid a contract dispute with the cash-trapped government, in Athens, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. The government says it is lacking the funds needed to offer thousands of firefighters long-term contracts. Greece is under pressure to make deeper spending cuts as it struggles to reach agreement with bailout lenders on the terms of future loan payouts. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

ATHENS, Greece – Greece’s government has proposed legislation to extend the short-term contracts of some 2,000 firefighters, on the day they expired, following union protests.

Hundreds of firefighters protested peacefully outside parliament, where lawmakers debated the draft legislation that is expected to be voted on later Thursday.

Union officials say 4,000 of Greece’s 12,000 firefighters are on five-year contracts expiring Thursday. The proposed law would allow 2,000 of them to serve another three years on short-term contracts before being granted full-time jobs.

Greece has been relying on billions of euros in international rescue loans since 2010. In return, it implemented deep spending and income cuts, and froze public sector hirings.

The country’s continued problems in meeting all bailout conditions have frequently seen its future in Europe’s joint currency brought into question.

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