K. Hadjidakis on EFKA: We inherited the «Dew of the Dawn»

«A contradictory picture» saw the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakis, during his visit to the Attica Regional Branch of the Attica Branch of the EFKA in the centre of Athens, as he says in a post on his personal account in Facebook. His visit took place in order to ascertain the situation prevailing in the institution, but also in the context of the Ministry's effort to speed up the process of awarding pending pensions.

In his Facebook post, Mr.Hadjidakis said that the bureaucracy of the past does not in any way reflect the model of public administration that the Ministry expects, while stressing that, during the visit, it noted the the suffering and anguish of pensioners, who have been waiting for their pensions to be paid for months or even years.

However, the competent minister makes particular reference to the efforts of the administration and the employees of the EFKA, in order to improve the existing situation. «A picture unfolded before me that I would describe as contradictory. The bureaucratic legacies of the old IKA and the old TEBE were made worse by the merger into the EFKA.», underlines Mr.Hadjidakis in his post, referring to the efforts of the administration for a year and a half to improve the situation, but also to the «difficult struggle that employees of the EFKA give to respond to the issuance of pensions in stacks of files, which do not refer to the model of public administration we want to create. And, of course, the pensioners who called while I was there, pressing for their pensions to be issued for which they have been waiting for months or even years.».

It points out that the management and employees of the EFKA are raising a big cross. «The problem that has been inherited from the past is the “Dawn of the Dawn”. The merger without a plan in 2016, instead of simplifying, turned things backwards. That is why there have been longer delays in the issuance of pensions since then,’ underlines the Minister of Labour.

Obsolete logistical infrastructure

In the context of the visit, Mr. Hadjidakis noted that the logistical infrastructure is outdated, which, it concluded, makes the work of officials more difficult. According to the Labour Minister, the problems are also magnified by the current conditions, due to the pandemic of coronavirus, with 50% of staff working remotely.

Specifically, Mr.Hatzidakis notes: «For the infrastructure there was no special care. It is indicative that. the computer network, as it is today, is far from adequate, as well as access for staff to modern computers. They have computers, but they are Windows 2000 and inadequate security. Also, as he points out, there is a central computer and one employee is responsible for distributing e-mails to the other employees. In order to address this condition, the Minister of Labour stresses that the institution will be equipped with 1 700 new computers, an action he said was already underway.

However, Hatzidakis says that efforts have been made to modernise. As he points out, pensions issued in 2020 were up by 31% compared to 2019, while last year 1,750,000 electronic transactions were made to the EFKA. At the same time, the distribution of pensions digitally was started in sections and, he said, more than 22,000 pensions have already been issued digitally, (pensions, due to death and from the OGA).

«We will use all the “weapons” at our disposal»

Taking into account the current situation, Mr.Hadjidakis mentioned the main initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to speed up the process of awarding pending pensions. ’We are determined to use all the «weapons“ we have at our disposal,” Hatzidakis says in the post on his personal Facebook account, while stressing that this battle must be fought in a coordinated and planned manner. In this context, the Minister of Labour lists a number of measures to address the issue of outstanding pensions, which are:

– The legislative regulation on the advance payment of national pensions, which will be granted retroactively to pensioners. It is recalled that the platform for the digital application for advance pension payment. Insured persons who have applied for an old-age, disability or death pension shall submit an application for the advance payment of the pension on the platform.

The platform, which is available through the single digital portal of the State gov.gr and, in particular, via the link prokatavoli.syntaxeis.gov.gr, as well as through the official e-EFKA website (efka.gov.gr), will be open until 31 March 2021. As Mr.Hatzidakis notes, The aim is to make the advances, together with the retroactive payments, before Easter.

- Promote legislation in Parliament to simplify the procedures for issuing pensions.

- A special group of 100 retired former employees of the EFKA is activated, whose experience can help the institution to speed up the award of pensions and to accelerate the processing of pending pension applications. As already announced by the Ministry of Labour, these pensioners will sign an eight-month, non-renewable contract with the administrator of the e-EFKA to support the pension award procedures.

These are former employees of the National Fund for Social Security who recently retired and who, during their active service, had served, inter alia, in the areas of the award of pensions of all categories, the calculation of the length of insurance, the procedure for the verification of contributions and the support of the pension secretariat.

- The renewal of approximately 150 employees, while the recruitment of 150 new contract economists on a contract basis is launched.

- Use of the services of certified lawyers and accountants. «They have knowledge and contact with the subject matter. We want to go ahead and it is not something original, it is already done in urban planning offices with engineers since 2010,» Hatzidakis explained in his Facebook post.

«The government, the administration, the employees of the EFKA, who I stress once again that I consider them allies in this battle - and any other forces from the private sector combined with the public sector, can get us out of this huge problem. It is unthinkable that in 2021 we in Greece in Europe will have a problem like the one we are facing now with pensions. We are determined to solve it. And we will solve it,» the Labour Minister stressed.

At the Attica Regional Branch of the Attica Branch of the #EFKA. The problem inherited from the past is the «Dawn of the Dawn». But we are determined to solve it. And in cooperation with the management and employees of the EFKA and the private sector we will solve it. pic.twitter.com/1RZ1E6tJvq

- Kostis Hatzidakis (@K_Hatzidakis) March 23, 2021