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With 153 votes "for" and 144 "against" the Greek Parliament passed the controversial bill of the Ministry of Finance, which will completely change labour relations in the country. It was supported only by PASOK members, all opposition parties voted against it. The vote passed with no surprises, but not without loss to the PASOK government. Shortly after the vote, Prime Minister George Papandreou disaffiliated the former Minister of Employment Louka Katseli from the parliamentary group as she voted against Article 37 of the legal document, which cancels the collective labour agreements.

Earlier, she explained why it was "impossible" for her to vote on Article 37 of the bill, which will abolish the collective labour agreements in their present form. "We are creating a dangerous labour event" she said, and predicted that this would lead to "a general, sharp and uncontrolled reduction in salaries of over one million employees," a fact which would deepen the recession. Louka Katseli suggested that the government postpone the vote on the specific article for a period of two months during which to hold talks with the social partners and the International Labour Organization and then, bring it to vote in a new wording.

She stressed that her negative vote would not weaken Greece’s negotiating ability during the summit.

While in the area around the Parliament a much larger number of demonstrators than yesterday had gathered, a meeting of the Council of Ministers was in progress inside. It began at 2 p.m. and lasted more than five hours. During the meeting, Prime Minister George Papandreou and Minister of Finance Evangelos Venizelos presented their preparations for the talks at tomorrow’s meeting of Eurogroup and for the European summit next Wednesday. In his speech, the Prime Minister assured the ministers that he was in constant contact with the European partners, informing them of his proposal to opposition leader Antonis Samaras for them to be at the summit in Brussels together and accused the European Union of being also responsible for the present situation.

After the publication of the report of the supervisory Troika on the status of the Greek debt and its call for the immediate payment of the sixth tranche of economic aid, the Greek government took a breath and focussed on the preservation of its parliamentary majority in the roll call vote of the Ministry of Finance bill.

Late yesterday, the bill was approved on first reading, as 154 PASOK deputies voted in its support. One of the deputies said he had given a positive vote on the "last hope". There was suspense around Vasso Papandreou’s vote, she had also threatened that she would not vote for the bill, but after her meeting with the Prime Minister, she said she would give a positive vote "for the last time" because George Papandreou had alarmed her that the payment of the sixth tranche depended on each vote. Despite their claims that "people cannot stand more measures" another three candidates for negative vote finally followed the party discipline.

During the vote, the chairman of the parliamentary group of the left coalition SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, said that it was not possible for a parliamentary democracy to act under "Omerta" conditions, commenting on the fact that PASOK deputies were called once again to vote a bill against their own conscience. The Minister of Finance Evangelos Venizelos urged him to withdraw his statement. At the beginning of his speech, the Minister made a dramatic statement: "The time has come. The 154 members of PASOK, like Sisyphus, are taking the burden of this country."

The loss of another member is a serious defeat for the Greek government, for which it is getting increasingly hard to pass the unpopular economic measures, which have turned the entire Greek society against it. Some media have recalled a statement the Prime Minister had made in March that he was not able to rule with 153 deputies. It will become clear in the coming days whether he will keep his word this time at least.