Labor Minister and SYRIZA MPs clash in Parliament over pensions
Labor and Social Insurance Minister Yiannis Vroutsis, who has been discussing the thorny issue of pension reform with visiting troika inspectors, clashed in Parliament on Friday with SYRIZA MPs who accused the government of destroying the social security system.
Vroutsis insisted that Greek pensions were not at risk of being further reduced and condemned SYRIZA for its proposal to restore pensions, noting that it would cost some 13 billion euros in funding and that the leftists have not explained how they will raise such money.
“If what you say is realized,” Vroutsis said, referring to SYRIZA’s plans for pensions, “I assure Greek pensioners that their worst nightmare, of visiting a cashier at a bank and not getting their monthly pension, will become true.”
Earlier, SYRIZA’s parliamentary spokesman Alexis Mitropoulos said the leftist party would seek the creation of an investigative committee in Parliament to probe the impact of austerity measures on the Greek pension system which Vroutsis insisted is “viable.”
