Greek trade unions and the IMF confirmed a gap in views between the two sides on labour reform issues during their meeting on Wednesday.
The meeting between IMF representative Delia Velculescu and representatives of GSEE -Greece’s largest trade union umbrella- headed by president Yiannis Panagopoulos, lasted one-a-half hour and was in the framework of the annual report drafted by the IMF on the Greek economy.
The meeting was held after a request by the IMF representative.
Speaking to reporters, after the meeting, Panagopoulos said that the IMF representative offered no answers to the issues put on the agenda and that there was no point of convergence. However, Mrs Velculescu agreed on the classist nature of measures implemented in the country. “She was forced to admit that the program was classist hitting mostly workers and pensioners. But she did not say what will happen with the other market forces that enjoy wealth and prosperity at the expense of workers and pensioners. She also admitted that because of the measures implemented, a recession and high unemployment it was not possible for the Greek economy to produce primary surpluses for a long period of time,” Panagopoulos said.
“We expect to see whether this acknowledgement will be reflected in the Fund’s report, which will surely play a big role in negotiations and labour issues,” Panagopoulos said.
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