Kouvelis refuses to back civil service layoffs
Fotis Kouvelis who heads Democratic Left, the junior partner in the tripartite coalition, on Friday underlined his opposition to layoffs in the civil service, responding to criticism by a senior European Commission official about his party’s resistance to cutbacks in Greece’s public sector.
“A dogmatic insistence on layoffs is out of place and out of time,» Kouvelis said, noting that a plan that has been drawn up by the Administrative Reform Ministry will reduce the number of civil servants in Greece to below the European Union average.
Kouvelis added that it was imperative to create a safety net for poorer citizens and that help should be given to those who are unable to pay their taxes. European structural funding should be released without delay to boost growth projects and allow much-needed liquidity to return to the market, he said.
