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Deutsche Telekom's Greek subsidiary OTE has announced a cost-cutting programme which includes wage cuts. Deutsche Telekom's director for Europe, Guido Kerkhoff's statements in the Financial Times Deutschland have infuriated Greek affiliate OME-OTE. Mr. Kerkhoff cites cost savings in other countries as a reason to hit the Greek subsidiary as well. OME-OTE have released a press release attached below:

As regards the interview of Mr. Kerkoff , OME-OTE has repeatedly stated and documented that the problem in OTE is not the salary cost but the losses of revenues for the company due to the applied policy by the National Regulator for Telecommunications and Posts against OTE.



A Commission, prohibiting the company to sell cheap and quality products to the Greek Consumers and allowing at the same time the competitors to throw a "party", using the infrastructure of OTE, without paying the universal services, and without fulfilling their obligations to the market, using cheap and in many cases blackmailed low paid personnel in the name of "healthy competition" and in favour of speculators and funds.



It would be useful also in his interview, Mr. Kerkoff, among other things, to mention the synergies, the new ideas and products "brought" by the strategic alliance in the Group, in addition to "costs of advice" and travel to and from Germany, as well as what value has been added by this "alliance" in the telecommunications of our country.



However, as we have stressed in similar statements made by Mr. Kerkoff, they invested in this OTE, with these labour relationships, with these wage costs and in this market.



If they wanted something else… they could invest elsewhere .



In any case we will not become Chinese workers because of their investment. Neither victims in the Procrustean bed of their profits.



Furthermore, the tough and unpopular measures in the framework of the memorandum, for which the Greek workers react and fight back against, have been imposed for the Greek public interest, not the German, and certainly not for DT.



OME-OTE will continue to defend workers' interest that represents and at the same time will continue fighting for an OTE under public control in the service of the people and the country with any cost, whatever sacrifices.