Die Griechischen Staatsanwälte und Richter streiken

Wednesday, 19 September 2012 14:45

Greek Judges and Prosecutors Strike

Written by  Bruce Walker

The economic meltdown in Greece is producing some peculiar situations. The week of September 10, Greek Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras met with the Association of Magistrates and Prosecutors — Greece's union of judicial employees. These individuals have historically had significantly higher salaries than other civil servants in the country. They are also charged with making sure that legal cases proceed through the system in Greece — that criminals are prosecuted according to law, that litigation between parties in civil actions proceed, and that the Greek government enforces tax and regulatory law. So keeping these people working is in the best interest of everyone in Greece.
But the Greek government, in order to cut public expenses and to bring the nation’s fiscal situation back to order, plans to cut the salary of those magistrates and prosecutors by 25 percent. Stournaras met with the association and tried to persuade the members to accept pay cuts. But after already seeing their salaries reduced by almost 38 percent since the beginning of Greece's recent financial woes, the Association of Magistrates and Prosecutors voted unanimously to reject the government’s proposal and instead the members voted to begin a partial strike beginning on September 17 and lasting five days.
Already these officials work only five hours a day — from 10:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon — but under the partial strike the magistrates and prosecutors will work only one hour a day, and only cases nearing the statute of limitations will be heard. This slowdown hits a Greek judicial system in which it sometimes takes 10 years for a case to come to trial.
The Association of Magistrates and Prosecutors will meet again on September 22 to determine whether or not to continue this partial strike. Panagiotis Liberopoulous, who is a representative of that association, said,

We realize the problems that the state is facing. We have contributed, we are not against contributing, but a line has to be drawn, there has to be a limit. They can’t completely degrade us. We are determined to defend our current wages. We call on the state not to forget that it has the obligation of protecting the personal and operational independence of judges.

It is not unprecedented for judges to go on strike over compensation. In Indonesia earlier this year judges did just that. It is also not unprecedented for judges to go on strike for other reasons. In May of this year, the Tunisian Union of Judges called a strike to protest the firing of 81 judges who were charged with corruption.
What is happening in Greece, however, is qualitatively different. The Greek judges and prosecutors are trying to pressure the government into rejecting austerity programs that have been demanded by other nations in the eurozone as a condition of more bailout help. Moreover, these judges and prosecutors have been joined by other Greek civil servants such as tax collectors whose work directly relates to the revenue available to the Greek government as well as to hospital doctors, teachers, police officers and others. Greek judges are among the highest paid civil servants in the nation. They are also the officers charged with keeping the law.
Military officers and police officers have also joined picket lines in support of a general strike in Greece. Can a government function without judges, prosecutors, police, and military? Greece cannot pay the high cost of government salaries, which are a substantial part of the national state expenditures. Without serious reductions and the help that Greece needs from the eurozone, the Greek government, whose bonds have already been downgraded by rating services to the status of “junk bonds,” seems likely to default, which will mean that the value of Greek bonds in the investment portfolios of banks throughout Europe will be devalued dramatically. But the euro zone representatives are adamant that the Greek government must reduce expenditures significantly, and that includes even the salaries of magistrates and prosecutors in Greece.

Sunday, October 21, 2012 PREMIUM The "Kissinger Plan": Confederations Macedonia, Epirus, Thrache, For nearly 20 years (decades 70 and 80) that culminated in the international political scene was none other than the Secretary of State, ChaintsAlfrent Kissinger (Heinz Alfred Kissinger). Born in Germany in 1923 by parents of Jewish origin, who in 1938 fled to America under the threat of the Nazi regime, initially followed an academic career at Harvard, but also participated in various government agencies and committees involved external policy and security of the United States . So, in 1969 he was appointed National Security Advisor to President Nixon and later, during President Ford, he served as foreign minister and, after Carter's election to the presidency, he founded a consultancy company and continued his career as an expert foreign policy and was awarded the Nobel Peace 1993.Mono which for Greece was one of the most basic makers 'appetite' for our neighbors scheming Greek territories as "plan" included the dismemberment of Greece. One state starts from Arta and over, called Greater Albania. The second state has to do with Skopje, which created the state of Macedonia, which goes to Larissa. The third state is Thrace. And all this will gradually become the "fall" of the cultural elements of the Greeks, as Kissinger stated that: "The people of the Greco is anarchic and difficult to harnessed. Therefore you must strike deep roots in culture. Then you might be forced to comply. I mean to attack his language, his religion, spiritual and historical reserves, so as to neutralize its ability to develop, to distinguish, to prevail, so as not to disturb us in the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, Throughout this crucial area of strategic importance for us. " Since then, whether the statement is true or not, what he described seeing them since then to gradually become reality Macedonians, Albanians and Turks, and fueled the "plan" for adjusting the territories of the Balkan countries. In summary, called "Kissinger Plan" provides the solution of problems of the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans, with the creation of a confederation of states, with ponomazomenon "United States Eastern Mediterranean" (LAEC). At the same time, part of the EU already enrolled in this or future enlargement Field Theory (North America) will be cut off, or will be part of a "loosely affiliated" with this wing that extends eastward. According to some information, the "plan" was launched in 1989. Then consisted initially resolve the problem Palaispnion Israel, the "break" of Israel, a goal that almost made recently. The second phase provided break up of Yugoslavia, the goal has been achieved. The third phase is considered that promotes federalism in Cyprus (after it has been cleaved in two "states"), Phase made this stigmi.Edo but things are starting to become more interesting. According to some estimates, the "Plan" in the original version provided further: ■ autonomy Crete. Dodecanese islands of the eastern Aegean and western Asia Minor. ■ autonomy of eastern, western Thrace kaitisnotiou Bulgaria. ■ Increase the territories of the State of Skopje with annexation of Macedonia and Thessaly. ■ Increase the Albanian territories to the south until andthe Preveza. Already in 1989, he had discovered that the loss of Greek-Turkish disputes will long term objectives: • The demilitarization of the islands of the Aegean. • The demilitarization of Turkish coasts of Asia Minor, to where, as they say. does not go beyond. • The establishment of Greek-Turkish business (tourism, petroleum, commercial, industrial) and establishing a free trade zone in the Aegean and Asia Minor coast between the two countries as part of a "mixed zone," which would evolve into an autonomous "state-pad" local conflicts, international influence and controlled by the UN....... ORIGINAL IN GREEK LANGUAGE: http://www.greeknation.blogspot.com/2012/10/blog-post_7411.html