希腊议会通过关键的公共部门裁员

 　　ATHENS, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Greek parliament approved early on Thursday a new austerity and reform bill which contains mass job cuts in the public sector¹ in a key step to unlock further international bailout aid to the debt-laden country.

　　The omnibus bill passed shortly after midnight with 153 votes out of 293 deputies present in the 300-member strong assembly with the support of the two parties participating in the conservative-led coalition³ government.

　　The result of the crucial roll call vote, which was also a first test for the reshuffled government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, opened the way for the implementation⁴ of a mobility⁵ plan to place 25,000 civil servants on labor⁶ reserve this year for dismissal in 2014 if they will not be transferred to other posts.

　　The provision among more than 100 articles which included amendments⁷ on taxation⁸ and other measures was the key request by European Union and International Monetary⁹ Fund lenders this time before the release of the next rescue loan tranches of 6.8 billion euros (8.9 billion U.S. dollars) to Athens this July and in autumn.

　　It came as trade unions have launched a wave of strikes and protests recently against additional mass firings in civil services agreed with creditors¹⁰ earlier this year as part of measures to shrink state expenses and overhaul¹¹ state organizations to exit the crisis.

　　The reform has sparked strong reactions in Greece, since for decades jobs in the public sector were lifelong guaranteed under constitutional provisions.

　　As deputies debated the bill on Wednesday, demonstrators had gathered outside the parliament building once again in a fresh rally called by the two main unions, chanting slogans against austerity and the reforms.

　　The two-partite coalition also faced pressure inside the assembly from ruling parties' MPs who had expressed objection to certain articles ahead of the critical vote.

　　Samaras' New Democracy party and the socialists¹² were concerned about defections, as they hold a razor thin five seat majority in the chamber¹³ after the loss of their third partner in June. Two ruling parties' legislators were not present at the vote.

　　The Democratic Left party which voted against the bill on Thursday withdrew from the coalition over the closure of the national television and radio broadcaster ERT which marked the first round of unprecedented¹⁴ dismissals in the public sector.

　　Critics of the bill spoke¹⁵ of a new heavy blow on Greek society which suffers from record high unemployment rates of more than 28 percent and deep recession after three years of harsh cuts on salaries, pensions and tax increases imposed to slash¹⁶ deficits¹⁷ in order to avoid default.

　　"We fully¹⁸ understand the difficulties Greek peoples face, but we are certain that the path we have chosen is the correct one," Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras said addressing the parliament shortly before the vote.

　　Earlier on Wednesday, in a televised address, Samaras had announced the reduction of VAT² rate on food service from 23 percent to 13 percent as of Aug. 1 as a signal that Greek economy is heading to recovery soon.

　　Greek officials and international lenders, who provide Greece with vital multi-billion-euro aid in exchange of the painful policies since May 2010, forecast that the country will start restoring growth next year.

　　Foreign officials, such as German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble who will hold talks Greek leaders in Athens on Thursday, have acknowledged progress made on the fiscal¹⁹ adjustment part of the stability and growth program. However, they urge Greece to step up the delayed and much needed reforms in order to overcome the crisis.

1 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

2 vat   

n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶

参考例句：

• The office is asking for the vat papers.办事处要有关增值税的文件。
• His father emptied sacks of stale rye bread into the vat.他父亲把一袋袋发霉的黑面包倒进大桶里。

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

5 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

8 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

9 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

10 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

12 socialists   

社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The socialists saw themselves as true heirs of the Enlightenment. 社会主义者认为自己是启蒙运动的真正继承者。
• The Socialists junked dogma when they came to office in 1982. 社会党人1982年上台执政后，就把其政治信条弃之不顾。

13 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

14 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

15 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

16 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

17 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

18 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

19 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。