By S. Papapetros
Greece's labor minister this week warned that any serious labor law infractions will result in companies being excluded from public sector tenders for a certain time period and even financing through structural funds.
Minister Effie Achtsiogou told "N" said the aim of the initiative was to combat the phenomenon of uninsured employees -- a standing problem emanating from the so-called "black" or "grey" economy.
In touching on a pressing issue that ranks as one of the "obstacles" to concluding the now delayed second review of the Greek bailout program, she said a return of collective bargaining talks between employers' groups and unions, ones that lead to "powerful sector-wide collective work contracts, better organize the country's economic life, serve as a factor of "normalcy" in the labor market and contribute to the viability of the social security system.
Greece's leftist government wants a return of the obligatory collective bargaining regime in the country's labor sector, whereas creditors -- primarily the IMF -- have pressed for a continued liberalization in labor relations and prefer company-wide contracts, instead of sector wide.
Asked about creditors' insistence on a harmonization (downwards) of pension rates in the country, Achtsioglou reiterated Athens' most recent position that the IMF is basing its position "on a series of incorrect estimates regarding the cost of the social security system in the country, which lead to a final and unsubstantiated conclusion, namely, that pensions in Greece are generous.
"But it is not only the erroneous estimates and the technical mistakes that accompany this (conclusion). The IMF is insisting on a political austerity, refusing to engage in a fact-based discussion. This position does not only deal with the pension issue, but with the overall issue of the Greek economy's course," she said.
The Greek minister added that the facts to date point to positive rates of growth and revenue targets, thereby refuting the "over-pessimistic" IMF forecasts.
