The Minister of Labor Panos Skourletis has vowed to abolish the “zero deficit clause” for pension funds, in order to avoid any new cuts to supplementary pensions.

In his interview on Friday Mr. Skourletis stressed that the government’s “commitment is clear” and questioned the fiscal cost of free collective negotiations, particularly when they are at the core of the European acquis.

Mr. Skourletis also rejected the possibility of introducing legislation that will facilitate collective dismissals, arguing that it is out of the question when Greece has the highest unemployment rates in Europe.

Finally, he noted that the SYRIZA-led coalition government would continue forward with its proclamations, unlike the previous governments which had “essentially ceded their self-evident rights away”.