Brussels, 21 August 2018

While welcoming the end of the EU's Stability Support programme for Greece, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) warns that Greece's problems are far from over, and needs a recovery plan to tackle unemployment, low wages and poverty.

"The EU's Stability Support programme is over but Greece still has high debt, low growth and enormous unemployment" said Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the ETUC. "It is not Greece that has been saved but the banks of EMU core countries. Instead Greece has emerged worse off after a diet of less public services, lower wages, reduced collective bargaining, and fewer protections and rights for working people."

"When the moratorium on interest payments comes to an end Greece will face renewed problems."

"What Greece needs is a plan for recovery to relaunch public and private investment and improve state pension and social protection systems supported by EU funding, restore sectoral collective bargaining and increase wages, restore workers' rights such as the right to strike, and tackle poverty.

"The European Commission should ensure social dialogue between the Greek government, Greek employers and trade unions and the EU to agree and implement a recovery plan."