ATHENS – "Τhe government views the crisis as an opportunity to accelerate anti-labour policies and measures that would be difficult to pass under normal circumstances, seeking to establish the view that there is no alternative other than that of painful measures," main opposition SYRIZA spokesperson Alexis Charitsis stated on Monday on radio "Sto Kokkino".

Referring to his party' programme "Menoume Orthioi", he said that it promotes a different way of coping with the crisis, namely by supporting the income and rights of workers, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed, as well as the creation of a safety net for those who see a drastic drop of income.

He accused the government of implementing "a nightmarish scenario for thousands of workers, especially in sectors already stricken by the crisis, such as tourism and catering."

Charitsis said that it was clear that the government is continuing a policy of internal devaluation that was first imposed on Greece in the early years of the fiscal crisis, in 2010-2014, with the loss of significant rights and a reduction of employee incomes, the collapse of the domestic market and of social security funds.

On the European Commission's proposal for a recovery fund, he said that this was moving in the right direction "despite its grey areas," adding that, after a great many years, Europe was finally understanding that the rationale of tackling a deep recession with austerity policies "cannot be tolerated".