Breach in Papademos' government

Yet again the two main parties, which are - supposedly - one governmental scheme at the moment, are fighting and this time it has to do with the supplementary pensions. Labour Minister George Koutroumanis has proposed their reduction whereas New Democracy through its Labour representative Nicos Nicolopoulos is clear, saying a big no to that reduction and simultaneously accusing the PASOK governments of the past two years of “robbing the supplementary funds”.

The minister discussed the issue with Prime Minister Lucas Papademos only yesterday, but it is expected to be one of the hot potatoes in tomorrow’s cabinet meeting. The reduction in supplementary pensions, which ranges from 10% to 15%, will be effective from January 1, 2012.

Nicolopoulos specifically said that these funds were created thanks to the money paid solely by the Greek taxpayers and do not affect the country’s deficit or the state budget.

After certain questions that he posed which regard the matter in question, such as why Koutroumanis is bringing the measure forward at this time, Nicolopoulos stresses that ND will not support measures that will bring low-level pensioners to their knees. Moreover, he says the “kitty” of supplementary funds which was created exclusively by payments by workers and their employers “demands total transparency, rationality and, above all, respect”.