Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday said that whatever economic recovery cannot “be based on an obliteration” of the labor sector, speaking with European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker by his side in Athens.
The statement comes as the second review of the Greek program (third bailout) in the autumn is widely expected to hinge on a bevy of prior actions dealing with a liberalization of the domestic labor sector.
“Various opinions are being heard on the part of creditors, opinions that collide with European labor and social rights,” Tsipras said.
He also said that Juncker, who was standing next to him, believes that collective bargaining agreements should again be implemented in Greece.
When asked if he backs the leftist Greek government’s positions on the labor sector issues, the EC president merely noted that he “is no friend of mass layoffs”, adding that he believes Athens will formulate a proposal that will find him in agreement.
