ATHENS — Main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras sternly attacked the government during his visit to the town of Chalkida on Monday, saying that it has decided to declare war on working people in statements during a meeting with the Larco Employees Union.

Tsipras said that the legislative changes on labour issues were a 'gravestone' for working people and were being made at the orders of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) and a small section of business groups that "wish to profiteer at the workers' expense". He asked the workers and the Greek people "for the voice of workers to be heard so that the government will understand the political cost of this attempt to wage a war on working people".

Tsipras pledged that "even if these laws are passed, I am here to make a commitment to workers and the Greek people that these legislative measures will soon be a thing of the past".

On Larco, he said that the government's plans "unfortunately do not guarantee either the sustainability of the business or its continuous operation but mostly do not guarantee jobs," and pledged that "we will fight to guarantee these positions," adding that it is an industry that plays an important role in the local and national economy.