Pension reform talks progress, unions say key concerns unresolved

Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas said talks on pension reform are moving forward after chairing a meeting of the labour advisory board, made up of trade union and employer representatives, that lasted more than three hours. The board will now meet twice a week, reconvening on Monday and then Thursday. Mousiouttas insisted on the government timetable of passing the reform through parliament before the end of the year so it can be implemented from the beginning of January. Trade unions reiterated that their key concerns have not been allayed, and the minister declined to be drawn on outstanding disagreements or what might constitute a deal breaker, conceding only that stakeholders have different approaches.