By Renee Maletzou and Alister Doyle
ATHENS, July 3 (Reuters) - Greece's Prime Minister has urged waverers in his Socialist party to back a sweeping pension bill in a parliametary vote expected on July 8, saying the indebted nation was 'on the right path' in an austerity cure.
Separately, an opinion poll showed the Socialists would be the biggest party if an election were held now, but would win just 23.4 percent of the vote with many undecided. It also showed about half of Greeks reckoned pension reform was needed.
'Voting in favour of the pension reform bill is a vote of responsibility by all lawmakers towards Greek society and the next generations,' Prime Minister George Papandreou said in an interview published in Sunday's Eleftherotypia newspaper.
'I will never get tired of repeating that the Greek people's sacrifices will pay off. They are already paying off. We are on the right path,' he said of cuts agreed in return for a 110 billion euro ($134.6 billion) bailout from the EU and the IMF.
Parliament is due to vote on Thursday for the bill that will increase the years Greeks have to work to qualify for a pension, curb early pension deals and raise the retirement age for women to 65 from 60, matching the age for men.
Papandreou's PASOK party has 157 of 300 seats in parliament and the reform is likely to pass even though some PASOK legislators have expressed their opposition.
Asked if any dissenters would be expelled, Papandreou said: 'I trust PASOK's lawmakers. I believe that we all realise our responsibility to change the country.'
In May, Papandreou expelled three PASOK lawmakers after they refused to support the main bill of austerity measures.
NO ELECTION
Asked about media speculation there might be an early election, he said: 'There is no way.'
Papandreou won power in a snap election in October 2009 and a new vote is not due until 2013.
'People gave us a mandate to pull the country out of the crisis and change it radically,' he said.
The opinion poll, by Kapa Research in Sunday's To Vima newspaper, showed Papandreou's socialists almost 8 percentage points ahead of the main opposition New Democracy conservative party on 15.6 percent.
A far larger 40.1 percent of voters were undecided in the poll of 1,002 people taken between June 30 and July 1.
On June 17, another polling agency showed the Socialists on 28.1 percent of the vote and New Democracy on 20.1 percent.
Public and private sector unions have called a national strike, the sixth joint stoppage this year, for July 8 to coincide with the planned pension vote.
In the To Vima poll, 35.2 percent reckoned the pension reforms were 'necessary but unfair' and 14.2 percent called them 'necessary and inevitable'.
Some Greek newspapers also reported that European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn would visit Athens in late July to check on its progress in fiscal cuts and austerity.
(Editing by Michael Roddy) ($1=.8172 Euro) Keywords: GREECE POLL/ (renee.maltezou@reuters.com; +30 210 3376439, Reuters Messaging:renee.maltezou.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
ATHENS, July 3 (Reuters) - Greece's Prime Minister has urged waverers in his Socialist party to back a sweeping pension bill in a parliametary vote expected on July 8, saying the indebted nation was 'on the right path' in an austerity cure.
Separately, an opinion poll showed the Socialists would be the biggest party if an election were held now, but would win just 23.4 percent of the vote with many undecided. It also showed about half of Greeks reckoned pension reform was needed.
'Voting in favour of the pension reform bill is a vote of responsibility by all lawmakers towards Greek society and the next generations,' Prime Minister George Papandreou said in an interview published in Sunday's Eleftherotypia newspaper.
'I will never get tired of repeating that the Greek people's sacrifices will pay off. They are already paying off. We are on the right path,' he said of cuts agreed in return for a 110 billion euro ($134.6 billion) bailout from the EU and the IMF.
Parliament is due to vote on Thursday for the bill that will increase the years Greeks have to work to qualify for a pension, curb early pension deals and raise the retirement age for women to 65 from 60, matching the age for men.
Papandreou's PASOK party has 157 of 300 seats in parliament and the reform is likely to pass even though some PASOK legislators have expressed their opposition.
Asked if any dissenters would be expelled, Papandreou said: 'I trust PASOK's lawmakers. I believe that we all realise our responsibility to change the country.'
In May, Papandreou expelled three PASOK lawmakers after they refused to support the main bill of austerity measures.
NO ELECTION
Asked about media speculation there might be an early election, he said: 'There is no way.'
Papandreou won power in a snap election in October 2009 and a new vote is not due until 2013.
'People gave us a mandate to pull the country out of the crisis and change it radically,' he said.
The opinion poll, by Kapa Research in Sunday's To Vima newspaper, showed Papandreou's socialists almost 8 percentage points ahead of the main opposition New Democracy conservative party on 15.6 percent.
A far larger 40.1 percent of voters were undecided in the poll of 1,002 people taken between June 30 and July 1.
On June 17, another polling agency showed the Socialists on 28.1 percent of the vote and New Democracy on 20.1 percent.
Public and private sector unions have called a national strike, the sixth joint stoppage this year, for July 8 to coincide with the planned pension vote.
In the To Vima poll, 35.2 percent reckoned the pension reforms were 'necessary but unfair' and 14.2 percent called them 'necessary and inevitable'.
Some Greek newspapers also reported that European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn would visit Athens in late July to check on its progress in fiscal cuts and austerity.
(Editing by Michael Roddy) ($1=.8172 Euro) Keywords: GREECE POLL/ (renee.maltezou@reuters.com; +30 210 3376439, Reuters Messaging:renee.maltezou.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.