An answer to yesterday’s announcement by SYRIZA’s Head of Transparency, Ioannis Ragousis, regarding the reassignment of the Mayor of Larissa, is given by a statement issued last night by the Ministry of the Interior.

Among other things, Mr. Ragousis described the transfer of the 59-year-old station master as “flagrantly illegal” due to the fact that there was an obstacle due to his age, as – as he mentions – the OSE explicitly and in writing required candidates with an age limit of 48 years.

“Age limits do not apply to employees under transfer in accordance with article 33 of the Ministerial Decision with Official Gazette 2623/B/2022 concerning the Internal Regulation of the OSE. The employee in question was a transferee and did not have an age limit,” the ministry points out of the Interior in his statement, responding to Mr. Ragousis.
“It is sad that, for issues so sensitive and with such a strong emotional and moral burden, SYRIZA does not have the elementary foresight to at least read the legislation carefully, before blasting the Government for its allegedly illegal actions,” the statement added.

The announcement of the Ministry of Interior:

In reference to a statement issued by the Head of Transparency of SYRIZA, Mr. Ioannis Ragousis, in which he claims that the reassignment of the Larissa Station Commander is blatantly illegal due to the fact that there was an obstacle to his reassignment, because allegedly the OSE explicitly and in writing required candidates with an age limit of 48 years, and calling on the Government to answer which government factor pressured and imposed the illegal transfer of the fatal Station Master, we inform you of the following:

Candidates for appointment to the Hellenic Railways Organization are governed by the relevant Ministerial Decision (Government Gazette 3326/B/2022) where the special age limits for the appointment of staff are determined.

The age limits do not apply to redeployed employees in accordance with article 33 of the Ministerial Decision with Official Gazette 2623/B/2022 regarding the Internal Regulation of the OSE. The employee in question was a transferee and had no age limit.

The so-called desired qualifications are not legal conditions but only desirable directions that the Organization is looking for, which obviously do not prevent it from making choices, as they are not formal conditions either for recruitment or for transfer and which are defined only by the existing institutional frame.

In addition, we inform you that the OSE announced a total of 114 positions in the A΄ Mobility Cycle of 2022. Out of these 114 posts, only 8 posts were filled in total. Out of the 114 positions, 18 concerned Station Masters, of which only two positions were filled.

It is sad that, for issues so sensitive and with such a strong emotional and moral burden, SYRIZA does not have the elementary foresight to at least read the legislation carefully, before blasting the Government for its allegedly illegal actions.