PM pledges 150,000 new jobs, help for suffering Greeks
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has confirmed plans to find the financial support for programs aimed at helping some 150,000 people find new jobs next year.
Papademos confirmed the initiative after meeting with ministers and Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of the Church of Greece, on Wednesday. The church and municipalities will help run the programs.
?It is everybody?s duty to support social solidarity,? said Papademos. The programs will begin in the first quarter of 2012.
Money will also be spent on improving care for vulnerable groups. This will include schemes to provide free healthcare to the unemployed and those without social insurance, support for existing programs such as ?Help at home? and assistance for disabled people and their families.
The programs are expected to cost close to 1 billion euros.
