diff --git a/parse.y b/parse.y
index 42010d232..c74b22672 100644
--- a/parse.y
+++ b/parse.y
@@ -1589,6 +1589,7 @@ package_item /* IEEE1800-2005 A.1.10 */
   | function_declaration
   | task_declaration
   | data_declaration
+  | class_declaration
   ;
 
 package_item_list
diff --git a/pform.cc b/pform.cc
index 68e9a072d..62adb07bc 100644
--- a/pform.cc
+++ b/pform.cc
@@ -328,9 +328,20 @@ PClass* pform_push_class_scope(const struct vlltype&loc, perm_string name)
 
       assert(!pform_cur_generate);
 
+	/* If no scope was found then this is being defined in the
+	 * compilation unit scope. */
+      if (scopex == 0) {
+	    cerr << class_scope->get_fileline() << ": sorry: class "
+	            "declarations in the compilation unit scope are not yet "
+	            "supported." << endl;
+	    error_count += 1;
+	    lexical_scope = class_scope;
+	    return class_scope;
+      }
+
       if (scopex->classes.find(name) != scopex->classes.end()) {
 	    cerr << class_scope->get_fileline() << ": error: duplicate "
-		  " definition for class '" << name << "' in '"
+		  "definition for class '" << name << "' in '"
 		 << scopex->pscope_name() << "'." << endl;
 	    error_count += 1;
       }