"Layoffs are coming, if redundancy fails"

Although Reichenbach or the Troika did not ask him for layoffs, administrative reform minister Dimitris Reppas spoke of such a possibility at a press conference on Thursday morning.

The scenarios circulating in the ministry of administrative reform are:

a) layoffs after staff review to be held under the new program for a smaller, more flexible state

b) layoffs due to shutdown of loss-making enterprises

c) redundancy extension

d) second redundancy within 2012 as provided for in the memorandum

e) inclusion of NHS doctors, and of other categories of professions which were excluded, in redundancy

Reppas said that the redundancy program broke a major taboo in Greek society and in response to the representative of the IMF, Paul Thomsen, who spoke of more redundancies, he said that "everybody is talking only about objectives and not about proposals", and added that Thomsen "does not speak of measures for social protection". In addition, the evaluation of public servants that will lead to the implementation of an administrative state will start from January 1, 2012.

He said the civil servants are 700.000, of which 190.000 are teachers and 155.000 security forces, and that there is little room for bigger cuts in state personnel.

Speaking on the government’s course so far, Reppas said that there should be no sense of impermanence.