Abolition of gender discrimination in recruitment for the Coast Guard

Dear Minister,
Dear Secretary General,

With this letter, I would like to kindly ask you to examine and address the issue of the approximately 120 female members of the Coast Guard, who have been, and continue to be, victims of gender-based discrimination.

These were the first women to join the Coast Guard, starting in 1980. From the very beginning, the discrimination against them was evident, as the criteria and qualifications for women’s admission were much higher than those required for men to hold the same positions. Specifically, for men, a primary school diploma was sufficient (from 1985 onwards, a secondary school diploma was required), they were tested in the spelling of a 10-line Greek text, and underwent an interview. Women, however, were required to have a high school diploma, and the exams, in addition to medical examinations and physical fitness tests, included three (3) subjects (composition, mathematics, geography) and foreign languages (optional).
It is noteworthy that these women were intended for positions as ordinary port guards, yet the entry requirements for them were the same as those for admission to the Coast Guard Non-Commissioned Officers’ School. As a result, it strongly appeared that the recruitment of women into the force aimed at creating a workforce with a dual role, which would provide services similar to both non-commissioned officers and port guards.

Beyond this discrimination against women, men with a high school diploma were given the opportunity to participate in exams for the Non-Commissioned Officers’ School, while their female colleagues, who also had a high school diploma and had undergone a more rigorous entrance examination, were not given this opportunity. In 1984, organizational positions were created for female non-commissioned officers in the Coast Guard, but these positions were limited to only eight and were offered only to women from the first intake, thus excluding many others. Since then, this opportunity has been abolished, leaving women who wanted and were capable of advancing within the Coast Guard (but did not hold a university degree) with no chance for further professional development, effectively excluding the majority of female members of the force.

Finally, the admission criteria for men and women were equalized in 1989. Since then, the position of women in the Coast Guard has improved significantly. However, in 1999, when women gained the right to be admitted annually to the Non-Commissioned Officers’ and Naval Cadet Schools, it was already too late for the first generations of women in the Coast Guard, as they had already exceeded the age limit. Thus, these pioneering women face a second injustice, as their colleagues who enlisted in the service from 1999 onwards have had and continue to have the opportunity to sit for exams for admission to the Non-Commissioned Officers’ Cadet School each time a competition is held, and for 12 years during their career. This gives them the chance to advance during their careers, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Coast Guard.

However, the opportunities for advancement for the first three generations of female port guards are limited because they are based on a regulation from 1970, which reflects the minimal qualifications of port guards from that time. Specifically, a port guard can become a petty officer after 10 years of service at the rank of port guard, can become a chief petty officer after 14 years, and can become a senior chief petty officer after 18 years, a rank where their career progression stops and remains stagnant until retirement, i.e., for the next 17 years. Port guards retire, of course, at the rank of sub-lieutenant, which they are granted one month before their resignation. However, if they were given the opportunity for normal career progression, they would have had the chance for even better advancement, which would also mean higher earnings.

These just demands of the female port guards have been embraced by their male colleagues as well and have been incorporated into a proposal submitted to the Ministry of Merchant Shipping. In this way, it becomes possible to address this request within the broader effort to eliminate inequalities among port guards.

Dear Minister,
Dear Secretary General,

It is obvious and widely recognized that the first three generations of female port guards have suffered a blatant injustice. For this reason, I hope you will give due consideration to their request for the improvement of their career progression, through the possibility of gradual promotion, based on years of service and retirement at the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Coast Guard.

Looking forward to your positive response,

With deep respect,

Anna Karamanou