The Minister of the Interior, Niki Kerameos, spoke about the productivity premium for civil servants, on the show “Today” on SKAI while commenting on the decision of the Justice Department on the tragedy in Mati.

Asked about the Justice’s decision on the tragedy in Mati, Mrs. Kerameos commented “justice issues decisions, this one faces criticism from a large part of society. We respect the decisions of the judiciary, which judges based on the provisions and the penal code says that you are judged with the most lenient provision. SYRIZA passed a criminal code that made the specific penalties lighter. The ND changed all these penalties to the much stricter ones.”

Regarding PASOK’s criticism of the “cover-up”, the Minister of the Interior stated that “there is a difference between the ND and the other parties because it decided not to use this tragedy as a political tool. Justice is justice and sometimes we like the decisions and sometimes we don’t. Each government can only raise the “ceiling” and this government has made a good effort to tighten the framework.

Regarding the productivity premium, Ms. Kerameos noted that “the perception of the public is changing, we send the message that the better the employee, the better he will be paid. Each year targets will be set with performance indicators and then a committee will review whether the target has been met and it is the supervisors who will review which employees have made a significant contribution.”

The Minister of the Interior, explaining the way in which the productivity premium will be paid, emphasized that “40% will go to everyone who worked in the department and 60% will go to employees who contributed to achieving the goal. The premium will reach up to 15% of the annual base of the specific employee. There will be other rewards such as for example an employee will be able to attend a seminar at a foreign school of public administration at public expense.”

“The philosophy is that we want to reward deserving civil servants because we want a better government“, Ms. Kerameos added and pointed out that “the one who makes a huge effort and should be recognized”.

Responding to SYRIZA’s criticism of the pre-election premium, Ms. Kerameos emphasized that “Mr. Kasselakis is speaking, who is offering 13th and 14th salary as the first decision he will make. Where will he find the 3 billion? euros per year? Will he tax the citizens? We hear about an unstoppable excuse. The Kasselakis statement also implies something else because SYRIZA is possessed by an opinion that says that everyone is equal and similar”.

Regarding the Asimakopoulou case, Ms. Kerameos emphasized that “none of this has anything to do with the electoral process. With a terrible lightness, the opposition parties want to cast shadows on the electoral process. As for the alleged burglary, police say they are investigating and waiting. From the data I have there is no evidence that there is a problem. All procedures have been completed regarding the requests of the authorities.”