Pension, labour disputes dog Greek talks as cash dwindles

Athens

WIDE differences over pension and labour reforms continued to dog intensive negotiations between Greece's leftist government and its international creditors despite progress in other areas as the country's cash position becomes increasingly critical.

Government spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis sounded the alarm on Monday, saying that while Athens intended to meet all its payment obligations, including nearly one billion euros (S$1.5 billion) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in May, it needed fresh funds before the end of the month.