The Deputy Minister of Finances Christos Staikouras spoke to the Financial Times about how the State Council’s recent ruling regarding the wage cuts of uniformed officers is troubling the Ministry, as it now has to return the funds.

In his interview with Kerin Hope, Mr. Staikouras is particular concerned that if the State Council ruling applies to other categories of civil servants who have experienced major wage cuts due to the government’s troika-mandated austerity policies, such as academics and judges, then the budget will be further burdened with an additional 1 billion euro in refunds.

If that is the case the Ministry will have to find alternative measures to cover for the refunds, which is increasingly becoming more difficult. Nevertheless, the Deputy Minister of Finances insists that the government’s intention is to ensure that there is still able to support pensioners and vulnerable social groups with 70% of the primary surplus.