The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Thursday, May 6, 2010

EU-IMF, Greece must freeze pay for public workers.[ 1178 ]

Greece's austerity measures

 Wednesday, 5 May 2010 16:50 UK
    Protestors face police near the Parliament building in the center of Athens  
    Planned austerity measures have prompted riots in Athens
    Austerity measures planned by the Greek government have been met with violent protests in Athens.
    A whole raft of measures, which include huge cuts to Greece's public sector, have been announced since December last year, when the Greek government acknowledged the need to tackle Greece's dire public finances.
    The plans hope to achieve budget cuts of 30bn euros over three years - with the goal of cutting Greece's public deficit to less than 3% of GDP by 2014. It currently stands at 13.6%.
    Implementing them is also a condition of Greece receiving the billions of euros in loans it needs as part of the EU-IMF rescue deal agreed this month.
    So what are the measures being proposed?

    PAY CUTS

    The government is planning a freeze pay for all public sector workers.
    Some pay cuts will also be implemented, and public sector contract workers are set to lose their jobs.
    This follows several years of continuous increases in pay, with salaries rising by an average of 30% since 2006.
    Annual bonus payments - paid as 13th and 14th month salaries - will also be scrapped for high earners and capped for lower earners.
    Other bonuses will be scrapped.
    In the private sector, the legal maximum number of people companies can lay off each month will be doubled from 2% of personnel to 4%.

    PENSIONS

    The reforms seek to prevent early retirement. Currently the average age of retirement in Greece is 61, though it is not uncommon for public sector workers to retire in their 50s.
    Under the planned changes, the retirement age, which is currently 65 years for men and 60 years for women, will be linked to average life expectancy.
    In addition, the minimum number of years someone will have had to have worked to qualify for a full pension will rise to 40 years from 37.
    Pensions will also be reduced so that they reflect a worker's average working pay rather than their final salary.

    TAX REFORM

    VAT will be increased to 23% from 21% - just the latest in a series of recent increases.
    Indirect taxes - including those on alcohol, fuel and cigarettes - will see a 10% rise.
    There will also be a clamp-down on tax evasion - widely regarded as a big problem in Greece - and on untaxed illegal construction.
    Tax-evasion alone is estimated to cost the Greek government at least 20bn euros a year.

    PRIVATISATION

    In the longer-term, the government will look to reduce the reliance of the Greek economy on the public sector, reducing the number of people on the public payroll.
    This will require growth in the private sector, and possible privatisation of some industries.
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