diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 66ed8ca0..8e4207b2 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -102,6 +102,18 @@ gt_TYPE_SSIZE_T
 
 # gnulib modules
 gl_INIT
+
+if test $ac_cv_lib_error_at_line = no; then
+  # This means that the error() function is not present in libc, so
+  # the one from gnulib will be used instead. This function precedes
+  # error messages it prints with the program name as returned by getprogname()
+  # call, instead of using the name set by set_program_name.
+  # Install workaround.
+  AC_DEFINE([ENABLE_ERROR_PRINT_PROGNAME],[1],
+            [Enable the use of error_print_progname to print program name with error messages.
+	     See comment to function tar_print_progname in src/tar.c])
+fi  
+
 # paxutils modules
 tar_PAXUTILS
 
diff --git a/src/tar.c b/src/tar.c
index 9c939f39..721d7779 100644
--- a/src/tar.c
+++ b/src/tar.c
@@ -2666,7 +2666,28 @@ decode_options (int argc, char **argv)
 
   report_textual_dates (&args);
 }
+
+#ifdef ENABLE_ERROR_PRINT_PROGNAME
+/* The error() function from glibc correctly prefixes each message it
+   prints with program_name as set by set_program_name. However, its
+   replacement from gnulib, which is linked in on systems where this
+   function is not available, prints the name returned by getprogname()
+   instead. Due to this messages output by tar subprocess (which sets its
+   program name to 'tar (child)') become indiscernible from those printed
+   by the main process. In particular, this breaks the remfiles01.at and
+   remfiles02.at test cases.
 
+   To avoid this, on such systems the following helper function is used
+   to print proper program name. Its address is assigned to the
+   error_print_progname variable, which error() then uses instead of
+   printing getprogname() result.
+ */
+static void
+tar_print_progname (void)
+{
+  fprintf (stderr, "%s: ", program_name);
+}
+#endif
 
 /* Tar proper.  */
 
@@ -2676,7 +2697,9 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 {
   set_start_time ();
   set_program_name (argv[0]);
-
+#ifdef ENABLE_ERROR_PRINT_PROGNAME
+  error_print_progname = tar_print_progname;
+#endif
   setlocale (LC_ALL, "");
   bindtextdomain (PACKAGE, LOCALEDIR);
   textdomain (PACKAGE);