(ANSAmed) - ATHENS, AUGUST 8 - A new meeting between Greece's
coalition leaders on Tuesday failed to yield any results, amid
objections from junior partner Democratic Left to plans to
revive a labor reserve scheme to reduce the public sector wage
bill. Sources told Kathimerini that Democratic Left chief Fotis
Kouvelis expressed his opposition to the measure, leaving Prime
Minister Antonis Samaras in no doubt that another option should
be considered. Kouvelis pointed out that when the scheme was
adopted last year, it was soon abandoned as only a few thousand
civil servants were placed in the labor pool, where they earn
60% of their salary but do not need to go to work. Socialist
Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos is also said to have expressed
his doubts about the scheme, but added that he was also against
the idea of mass sackings in the public sector. Meanwhile
Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras ruled out the option of
layoffs in the public sector on Tuesday. Responding to
information that has come to light suggesting that layoffs and
the labour reserve measure will be implemented in the public
sector, Stournaras said that the option of layoffs is not being
considered adding, however, that the labour reserve measure will
be examined "because the numbers do not add up easily. 11.5
billion euros is a large number and we are not quite there yet;
we are 3.5-4 billion euros short." Independent Greeks parties
condemned the coalition government meetings on Monday and
Tuesday, stating that they are just following the demands of the
troika. (ANSAmed).
