In a bid to attract investment and create jobs, the Greek government has agreed to change the rules regarding mass layoffs, European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said in response to a question from a Greek member of the European Parliament.
“The Greek government has agreed to revise its labor legislation. The aim is to introduce measures which, in combination with the recent reforms, can contribute toward attracting investments and support job creation. This is expected to include the revision of regulatory issues concerning the restructuring of enterprises and group layoffs,” Rehn told Nikos Hountis of the left-wing SYRIZA party, as Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis was meeting in Athens with Economy Minister Yannis Stournaras. There was no explanation what that meant.
Vroutsis was scheduled to meet on Sept. 27 with envoys from the country’s international lenders, the Troika of the European Union-International Monetary Fund-European Central Bank (EU-IMF-ECB) who were in Athens checking the books for progress on reforms.
Troika officials also met with Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras where it was reported they talk about changes and actions the government is taking to bolster growth. There was no explanation what that was.
They also talked about Greece’s lagging privatization program which is years behind schedule and agreed that the target for sell-offs this year would be to raise 1.1 billion euros ($1.48 billion) although there’s virtually no interest in any Greek enterprises by investors. They also talked about the ailing banking sector.
There was another meeting also attended by Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, on the fate of Hellenic Defense Systems (EAS) and the Hellenic Vehicle Industry (ELVO) while a separate meeting on the Larco mining company took place with Environment Minister Yiannis Maniati. Sources say no agreement was reached on any of the issues.
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