By Vangelis Dourakis

Finally, any effort made to receive the special maternity benefit is also put on ice by substitute teachers: They are the only category of mothers – after the recent expansion of the beneficiaries – that remained excluded from this specific benefit. The “formula” in order for the deputy women to receive the allowance in question was not found, as the “thorn” remains the “particularity” of their work.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Zetta Makri, herself was clear just recently in the Parliament, saying that it is not possible to equate substitutes with permanent ones in terms of pregnancy and maternity leaves.

Why can’t surrogates get maternity pay?

And this is because, as he explained, the temporary substitutes are hired with a fixed-term private law employment relationship to cover extraordinary educational needs, the permanent teachers for permanent and permanent needs and cover organizational positions.

In addition, deputies do not have an active employment contract during the summer, so a deputy may not be rehired.”

In fact, temporary substitutes are paid through NSRP and are hired to fill a specific position, with the result that in order for their payroll expenditure to be approved and considered eligible, they will have to serve the specific position.

In addition, permanent teachers carry out educational as well as administrative duties.

Their salary is from the regular budget and not from co-financed programs of the European Union.

The contract of temporary substitutes cannot exceed one academic year from September 1st to June 30th. This contract is concluded when they take up service in the school unit where they are placed and it automatically expires at the end of the academic year.

On the other hand, permanent teachers have a permanent position that exists until their organizational position is abolished.

Temporary substitutes have a fixed salary every month, while permanent teachers have a salary that is adjusted every two years based on their salary scales.

Permanent teachers can occupy positions of responsibility, depending on formal and substantive qualifications, but temporary substitutes cannot.

Furthermore, permanent employees are hired as probationers, they are made permanent after an evaluation that is repeated periodically throughout their working life.

Temporary substitutes may not be moved or reassigned to fill educational operational gaps or needs that arise after they are hired. They are bound to serve where they are recruited. The permanent ones are both transferred and seconded.

In other words, the Ministry considers that permanent and substitutes are not in comparable situations: They differ substantially in terms of the object, the duration of employment, the needs covered, the earnings, the source of funding, the changes in the service status.

Which mothers became entitled to maternity benefit

And while substitute teachers are excluded from special maternity benefits, this has only recently been extended to mothers employed outside EFKA, i.e. journalists, workers in DEKO and banks.

It is noted that freelancers, self-employed women and farmers also receive the special maternity protection benefit, which is granted for a period of 9 months and is equivalent to the minimum wage which is currently 830 euros.

It is recalled that from January 1, 2024, the regime for granting the maternity allowance was changed and the beneficiaries expanded, while from last April the granted amount also increased, as it went from 780 euros to 830 euros, monthly.