2024-03-01 21:31:14
The mayor of Ioannina, Thomas Begas, partially distanced himself from the statements of the Deputy Mayor of Cleanliness, Makis Chrysostomou, which caused the anger of the workers in the cleaning sector, during the protest performance, held at the City Hall.
Mr. Begas, although he stated that he has not watched the disputed interview of Mr. Chrysostomou, indicated that he does not interpret his statements as so aggressive towards the workers and speculated that it may have been an unfortunate moment. The mayor reiterated that he sees the workers as collaborators and respects their rights, stating that he is willing to have a meeting on all the issues they put to him.
Earlier, the president of the OTA Workers’ Association of the Prefecture of Ioannina, Tina Zeka, had accused the municipal authority of trying to create social automation and pit citizens against municipal employees, with the aim of more easily passing its plans to privatize further parts of cleaning.
Regarding the problems of cleanliness in the city, he said that these exist, but it is not the fault that the employees are not working, but that the number of potential is small and the staff is old and disabled. As he mentioned, there are 53 people in the street cleaning, of which three are supervisors/supervisors. Six are employed as worker-drivers in the satellite vehicle, which empties the baskets, four are on long-term sick leave with very serious health problems, one is pregnant and one is being transferred to Arta. Also, another ten people have various ailments and the occupational doctor has recommended that they be employed in lighter work. As a result, there are 38 street cleaners, not all of whom work every day, as cleaning has a seven-day operation. If you take into account that there are sick, parental and normal leaves, there are days with twelve cleaners, when the cleaning posts are 76. “With these numbers, statements like ’employees must understand that they must work’ are at least insulting,” he stressed. , addressing the mayor, while also complaining that the garbage trucks break down every little while because the fleet is old, at the same time the new garbage trucks are sitting without plates.
Finally, Mrs. Zeka initiated a cabinet act to the mayor, which states how many cleaning workers were hired in each Municipality of the country in 2023, saying that this is proof that the Municipality of Ioannita can hire staff, but it does not, “leaving the deputy mayor to slander the staff in order to bring the private person as a solution”.
There was also an intervention by the president of the Prefectural Department of Ioannina of ADEDY, Christos Grivas, who criticized the fact that the deputy mayor had targeted the workers, choosing the public stage. “These practices are not tolerated,” he said, denouncing the behavior of Mr. Chrysostomou.