Galery

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No sauna or classes in yoga, Pilates, Latin and folk dances for the Greek lawmakers because of the cuts in next year's parliamentary budget. According to a report in the Sunday edition of Real news, the parliament's gym, housed in the National Assembly, was opened in 2003 and has all the latest equipment. Gym instructors receive € 2,500 for a 7-hour day, five days a week.

Two nutritionists who receive fat salaries to care for the slim silhouettes of lawmakers and ministers work at the gym. Interestingly enough, the list of gym employees includes a riding coach although the Greek parliament has no horses at its disposal. Another extra is men's haircuts. According to unofficial sources, the deputies can have a haircut for less than a euro, while the prices in barbers and hairdressers range from five to fifteen euros.

Following the newspaper revelations of how the deputies take good care of themselves after long parliamentary sessions ... many of them urged the President of Parliament Filippos Petsalnikos to withdraw the services that cause popular discontent at this difficult moment in time for the country and which most lawmakers do not use.

Yesterday, Fotini Pipili of New Democracy entered into a fierce dispute with Deputy Minister of Finance Filippos Sahinidis for former deputies to continue to receive parliamentary pensions, although they hold other public posts. The Deputy Minister referred to a decision, according to which the pensions had been reduced by 70 per cent a few months ago. However, the deputy, who is one of the most vocal journalists in the country, said that all the privileges that the "MPs by profession" have accumulated in "all these years should be removed. It is not fair for people to consider us the same and to blame us for the privileges of people who entered parliament in the last one or two terms and have no responsibility for the habits established for years."

Her colleague Spyros Galinos, also a member of New Democracy, from the island of Lesbos announced that he waives all parliamentary privileges with the exception of his salary. In a message to the media, he said that he waives the rent allowance amounting to € 1,000, the car, the first class seat on flights to and from Lesbos and the right to have two policemen and a government official at his disposal.

The deputy said that he would use the allowances for his participation in parliamentary committee meetings to donate to needy citizens. Spyros Galinos assured that none of the officials and his associates are close or distant relatives, and that if necessary, he would not benefit from the protection of parliamentary immunity.

"I am a new member. I found these privileges, I have not created them myself. From the beginning, I used only what was necessary to be efficient in my work. All other privileges I have tried to use for the benefit of our region and when it was not possible, I did not take them," said the deputy.

In view of the fact that next year's parliamentary budget will be € 170 million, i.e. it will be cut by about € 20 million, the parliament leadership is considering the possibility of completely removing the allowance of € 150 which lawmakers receive for their participation in each parliamentary committee meeting. Only a year ago, the allowance was € 300 per session.

Notorious officials in parliament, most of whom are relatives of deputies and receive 14 salaries annually, will not get away with just cost cutting. It appears that the labour reserve status and the unified payroll table will apply to them too. According to parliamentary sources, Filippos Petsalnikos has asked for the list of parliamentary services to decide which ones are not needed and to eradicate them.