The Minister of Labor Giorgos Katrougalos argued that the International Monetary Fund is an ‘extreme player’ in the negotiations on labor matters, however Greece will not back down from its positions.

According to the Labor Minister, who spoke to Reuters on the upcoming meeting with Greece’s creditors, Athens will demand the reinstatement of collective bargaining “because it’s the core of the European social model”.

Other issues that are currently on the negotiating table include relaxing laws on collective dismissals, as well as allowing employers to shut down their businesses and lockout workers in the event of strikes, the Minister reported.

Mr. Katrougalos added that “these are measures which employers have already rejected in Greece” arguing that “we have reached a point where we can no longer tolerate the deterioration of Greek workers’ state”.