Greek Socialist deputies to back austerity, reforms: sources

Leader of the Socialist PASOK party Evangelos Venizelos addresses journalists after a meeting with government coalition party leaders at parliament in Athens October 23, 2012.

ATHENS (Reuters) - The overwhelming majority of lawmakers from Greece's Socialist PASOK party, the second-biggest partner in the country's ruling coalition, will support a raft of austerity and reform measures in a parliamentary vote, two lawmakers told Reuters on Tuesday.

"We took a majority decision to back the measures," one Socialist deputy told Reuters after the end of a party meeting to decide its stance.

All but about four of the party's 33 deputies backed the decision, one of the lawmakers said.

This decision would allow the government to win a majority to pass the measures in parliament, even without the backing of its smallest coalition partner, the Democratic Left, which said it would oppose some labor reforms in the package.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou)