Samaras Pledges No More Cuts On Minimum Wage

Antonis Samaras (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In an interview with the Sunday edition of the Real News newspaper, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras underlined that there will be no further cutbacks in the minimum salary.

"Of course I pledge this, even European Commissioner (for Economic and Monetary Affairs) Olli Rehn said it," said Samaras, while he clarified that he has already put forward the matter of the the IMF's so called "mistake" (on the fiscal multiplier) and has achieved substantial results. "We do not negotiate in public, these (negotiations) become known when we announce the results, because usually when you pre-announce them, you burn them...", he said.

According to the Greek Prime Minister, all the above have been included in the new loan agreement because it was understood that the preceding conditions were leading us to a vicious circle of recession, and he also underlined that what will change is that wasteful state expenditures will be halted, the structural changes will move forward, a blow will be dealt to bureaucracy and the privatisations will proceed.

Asked what Greece seeks from its lenders, Samaras said that by adhering to our commitments we can seek changes to all those (measures) that do not function or that bring the opposite results, and referred to the citizens' ability to pay their obligations to the Tax Bureau and to the banks. At the same time he noted that the target for 2013 is to achieve a primary surplus and underlined that this programme can work and meet its targets.

Samaras also warned that if "we have strikes every day, takeovers of streets public offices, Athens' centre is blocked or the circulation is prevented on national roads and everything is paralyzed, then no programme can work. He said that this was what some aspire todo " but we will not let them".

Questioned on the prospect of a government reshuffle, the Greek PM said that it will take place "whenever necessary".

Referring to main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, he said that the latter "imitates the worst political attitudes of the past, although he is young himself.. "He hastened to become old," Samaras added.

Finally, on the farmers' demands and mobilisations, he said that his government has done everything it could possibly do, but there are no more margins, and "I do not want and cannot deceive them".


Article in Greek on realnews