“Predatory contractors” who have come to the AAB reveals the president of the Workers’ Union of the Hellenic Aviation Industry. In an internal information document of the Union, Nikolaos Kapiris talks about the parasitic presence of the contractors which “costs a people dearly, which occupies the 5th worst position in terms of wages in Europe”.
Although the Association tries to highlight the issue, it runs into a wall because “the media with a wide audience and traffic have been silenced by the generous ‘subsidies’ of the state”.
He specifically refers to the “private company Apella, which has emerged as a walking stick” taking over a share of the Air Force’s Viper upgrade, as well as the F-16 manufacturing program.
This company “appeared out of nowhere at the ODA, making imperative demands for the training of its staff by the state-owned company and the simultaneous undertaking of work by it”.
And while ODA does not hire necessary technicians, the private company brought in foreign technicians with multiple salaries that ODA finally pays them! But the main work on the F-16s is done by Greek underpaid workers. As he states “the main volume of the work and the responsibilities have been undertaken by EABites of €850, while the “planter” contractors are living the dream”.
Finally, he asks how the new ministry and the new management of the ODA will manage these scandals so that the ODA remains Greek.
The entire announcement of the president of the EAB Employees’ Union
GREEK AVIATION INDUSTRY AND PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTORS:
THE APPRAISAL OF A DRAMA
On the occasion of EAB’s accession to the Ministry of National Defense, where it should always have belonged, as well as the assumption of duties by the new board of directors, we must return to the issue of predatory contractors who have infiltrated the company and highlight once again the their parasitic presence, which is costly, in a nation that ranks 5th worst in wages in Europe.
We have highlighted the whole issue many times in the past, with relevant reports in the electronic press and a limited number of websites, as the media with a wide audience and traffic have been silenced by the generous “subsidies” of the state. This is not only us saying this, but also the resolution issued on February 7th by the plenary session of the European Parliament, where, among other criticisms, it mentions something about “…the rule of law and the freedom of the media in Greece”.
Due to experience, we had warned from the beginning about what was to happen and in all tones, with arguments and justifications, through the publication of a series of articles, such as:
- Open contracting and reactions in the Greek Aviation Industry, (May 2022)
- Availability of C-130 HERCULES transport aircraft and ODA responsibilities, (May 2022)
- The first negative samples of outsourcing, (July 2022)
- EAB, “Predators” and “Backbenders”, (May 2023)
- Scandal the direct assignments of work of the state ODA, (September 2023)
Alas! A voice crying in the desert… No one took into account the positions of the workers and so we arrived after so many years, at a not inconsiderable valuation for the deeds of the contractors, but also for those who brought them. And we strongly emphasize the phrase “those who brought them”, because it seems that the mystery has finally been solved…
We will therefore refer in particular to the private company Apella, which appeared as a walking stick at the beginning of 2021, taking over a share of the work assigned to the ODA, both in terms of the upgrade of the Vipers of the Air Force, and in the construction program of the F- 16. The game seems to have been set up years ago, when the PA leadership at the time, rushed to donate to this specific lobby-astronaut company, (again…), a plot of land, in a corner of 111 AM at the airport of Nea Anchialos.
At the same time, the region of Thessaly had rushed to build a road, which connected the specific property with an adjacent municipal road. All this for a small operator, which until then was active in the repair of a limited number of aircraft components, at its facilities in Spata Attica.
As is already known, an aircraft maintenance hangar was later built in that acquired space, inside the literal “nest” of the F-16s. Quite by chance, this subsidized enterprise appeared out of nowhere at the ODA, making imperative demands for the state-owned company to train its staff and take over the project at the same time. The sequel is known.
Selective lawsuits against a number of union members who reacted to the plans and asked annoying questions about who these people are and under what contract they got in with such ease. Even until recently, every question related to Apella’s activities was met with a wall, as all the competent “malistakis” who made up the management and senior executives of the company, declared ignorance!
So we have a private individual who has broken into the classified facilities of a state defense industry, with claims to provide training and paid work, without any position on this, not even from the then supervising ministry. Everyone who forgot her!
The liar and the thief, however, in the first year are happy and thus the moment arrived when the “patron” of the subcontractor was revealed, even if indirectly, because as police tactics dictate, if you want to solve the crime, you just have to follow money. And we are talking about a lot of money…
Apparently, thanks to an event that took place a few days ago, it is confirmed that the private Apella was willingly brought to the ODA by the partner manufacturing company Lockheed Martin at the urging of the retirees.
A brief history of coercion is given. With the signing of the agreement for the upgrade of the Greek F-16s to the block 70 level, the configuration of the production areas began, as well as the necessary training of the technical personnel involved. To this was added without any information and personnel of the company in question, so simply and without the demonstration of any legal contract. Their role would be, say, to take over the management of the upgrade program…
That is, the ODA had made the negotiations and the agreement with the Americans, identified the weaknesses, corrected them, prepared the facilities, trained and then Apella came to be trained for free by those who would exercise organization and management!!!
So while they invited themselves to help with the Viper, they simultaneously “punched” the F16 manufacturing program, where EAB is a worldwide exclusive co-producer of LM, for the Aft Section of the fighter. They audaciously demanded to be trained in this program as well, without once again being given an explanation. The technical kind, PA retirees and a few ODA retirees.
Gradually, however, and after the elderly found it difficult, they increased the number of “trainees” by hiring young people. They thus continued to increase at all levels, recently daring even to displace the experienced personnel of the EAB, in the critical post of quality control of the aircraft being upgraded. In front of these disgraces, the executives of EAB pretended to know nothing, while the Americans were surprised by the “unjustified” reactions, declaring that we are bosses and in short, we are all one company!
Friends, of course, only in words. Not in the project, not in assuming responsibility, not in causing damages, not in monetary compensation…
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, specifically the facts and figures, as we know, numbers always tell the truth. By the tactic presented above, LM slowly imposed the appointment of its own subcontractors on ODA. The unofficial justification that floats in the air, a result of positions expressed in meetings in a war atmosphere, is the fact that the state ODA, as a hostage and victim of the uniform salary, cannot maintain a constant number of personnel. We have repeatedly reported and proven that the uniform wage bill was a tombstone for the company. The number of the last 180 or so technical resignations, in just 14 months, says it all.
This is how the push that the Americans were looking for was given, so that they could hire contractors on our behalf, outside of the wage restrictions set by the Greek state. In this way, around 150 Apella technicians came to work on F-16 manufacturing and Viper upgrades, with an average net salary of €2000. Due to the numerous resignations and in the upgrade program of the P-3B Orion naval cooperation aircraft, LM hastened to take corresponding measures, with the ex officio recruitment of around 30 foreign technicians, mostly Portuguese and with an average net salary of €5500.
And the quality of service, just laughable. They framed the program with adventurers employed on short-term contracts through shilling companies, and in essence, there was no progress anywhere. On the contrary, problems were also created, due to the indecent and provocative behavior of some of them, inside and outside ODA, as a result of which the LM that had brought them was forced to fire 5 people.
And now comes the best…
The salary differences within the company, chaotic to say the least… In the same programs and for disproportionately quantitative and qualitative work, the main volume of work and the responsibilities have been taken by EABites of €850, while the “planter” contractors are living the dream. The annual cost of Apella’s employees is just over €5.5 million.
Accordingly, the annual payroll costs of foreign contractors reach €7.5 million, which are paid with a clause attributed to the ODA! So since our allies, defiled the administration and the government, bringing into our yard whoever they like, they made sure to send the “sadest” one too…
We’ve said it before, but let’s say it one more time, so that it can be cemented by any reasonable person reading these lines. The motivation for the individual is profit and only that. For reasons of survival, patriotic feelings do not fit into his agenda. In the absence of written commitments, he could do business even with the “opposites”…
No one came to ODA to save her, only to “milk” her, or to blame her for his own mistakes, using her in the role of a useful idiot. According to this mentality, Lockheed Martin, considering the government to be responsible for the resignations of the technicians, made sure to transfer the cost of its own well-paid recruits, to the Greek state!!! And it does this systematically from the middle of the year 2021, deducting from the ODA compensation for the works delivered, the total cost of Apella and foreign payroll.
Even the infamous bonus it offers as an incentive to stay, for the staff involved in the programs that concern it only, is paid in the same way by the ODA again. All this, without bothering anyone in charge. Only the ordinary workers who hurt their company.
The above are real facts and are documented by irrefutable evidence. We mentioned before that the way to money is not hidden. The question now is, how will the new ministry and the new administration of the ODA manage these abominations. Will they take the necessary actions to correct the errors and injustices that have plagued the company for so many years? Or will it remain state-owned and Greek only in euphemism?
Yours sincerely,
The president of the GREEK Aviation Industry Workers’ Union.
Kapiris Nikolaos
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