Troika rejected DIMAR’s proposals

Samaras is trying to catch up with the deadlines, aiming to get the disbursement of the tranche at the Eurogroup on November 12 so that the 31.5 billion euros can be disbursed on the 16 of the same month. The government wishes to receive the entire amount in one installment. The dead end in the talks with the Troika due to the constant attitude of DIMAR remains, and the prime minister decided to file the multi-bill for a vote under an urgent procedure on November 5-7. The 2013 budget will be submitted for approval next Wednesday, October 31, and will include measures of the package of the 13.5 billion euros regarding next year.

Preparing the multi-bill, Samaras had meetings on Saturday and Sunday with the ministers involved in the 89 activities that form the prerequisites. Within the next week each ministry must finalise its settings in order to submit them to the secretariat of the government.

Meanwhile, telephone communications between the political leaders and discussions with the Troika are still on in order to break the deadlock in the labour issues. DIMAR suggests that only in case of substantial changes being made to the current agreement such as keeping the marriage allowance and the status of the national collective labour agreement, will it then reconsider its stance. The Troika refuses to back off in these two specific issues. Thus, the following hypotheses are formed:

 

-       DIMAR retreating prior to or during the discussion of the multi-bill in order to avoid jeopardizing the disbursement of the tranche

-       the Troika accepting the reduction of its requirements

-       withdrawing of the labour multi-bill as a whole and bringing it back later

 

So far Maximos Mansion says the multi-bill will be submitted in a single article in order to avoid complaints and leaking of members; the Troika, however, wants the vote of all three parties secured for their implementation. According to reports, the EU is considering bringing up the labour measures on a later date.

 

Finance minister Yannis Stournaras said "we have finished the coordination for the prerequisites. Regarding the labour issues the Troika was negative about the marriage allowance and the expandability of the contract. About the former they said it's something that has been already voted for and about the latter that it is not  valid in any part of the world. The Troika also rejected the ratification of privatizations by the parliament, and correctly in my view, since there would be no investor if each privatization had to be passed by the parliament."

Lykourentzos said there was discussion about the prerequisites, that everything is going well and that soon the multi-bill will be submitted to parliament for a vote.

The new e-mail the Troika sent to the Labour ministry this afternoon says that "you got the maximum in labour, do not expect anything more." Ministry sources said that there might be some better news tomorrow from the Euro Working Group and that the battle in the labour issues continues in order for the Greek side to achieve the best possible result.