There is no question of further reductions in pensions, a high-level official of the Labour ministry said yesterday, following the review meeting of the representatives of the Troika of Greece’s lenders with Labour Minister Yiannis Vroutsis.

This issue was a red line for the government, whereas officials of the ministry implied that despite the consensus and agreements, employment issues are still open and the discussion will be continued today.

Ministry officials pointed out that the lenders were informed about the Greek government’s side on employment issues, following the agreement reached in Geneva with the participation of European partners under the auspices of the ILO. Moreover, they also delivered the corresponding studies on strikes and lock out conducted by ILO and Professor Papadimitriou.

As the Greek side pointed out to the representatives of the Troika, approving process of mass layoffs by Supreme Labour Council requires time so as to prove that it guarantees the duration, efficiency and reliability of the measure, which is something that Troika requires, too. It should also be noted that during the last negotiation round the lenders insisted on the regulation of mass layoffs questioning the efficiency and competency of the Supreme Labour Council.

An official also said that reports on the viability of social insurance funds in Greece are expected to be concluded by the end of October. He also said that by November 2015, 393 annual reports of 93 social insurance funds will have been reviewed, which will give a clear picture of the overall state of the funds.