The Ministers of Finance and Labour will hold new meetings with the social partners on the Cost of Living Allowance (CoLA), in a last attempt to reach convergences that will allow the submission of a mediation proposal acceptable to all sides. The meetings are scheduled for Wednesday with the employers and Thursday with the trade unions. The social dialogue on the CoLA enters its final phase, with this week being crucial for ensuring, or not, industrial peace in the country.
The Ministers of Finance and Labour will hold new meetings with the social partners in a last-ditch effort to reach convergences that will allow for the submission of a mediation proposal acceptable to all.
A key factor for reaching an agreement, it seems, will be the extension of the CoLA so that more workers can benefit from it.
The meetings of the two ministers have been “locked in” for Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. with employers and Thursday at 2:00 p.m. with trade unions.
It is recalled that last Monday, a new negotiation framework was sent by the government side, which drew strong criticism for lack of clarity.
The ministers are shaping a proposal on the CoLA that will be presented to the social partners, aiming for a holistic and permanent solution, stated Deputy Government Spokesman Yiannis Antoniou on the Third Programme.
The facts
Based on the current data and as interpreted, the new proposal, in order to be acceptable to both sides, should provide for a 100% extension of the CoLA, not for everyone, as employers reject that, and not in a gradual manner, which the trade unions firmly reject.
The trade unions set as a prerequisite the extension of the CoLA through measures that the government can take.
As for the gradual implementation, the interpretation given is that it is an issue that could be discussed by the employers’ organisations.
Regarding the factor of economic growth, there seems to be no issue preventing convergence.
As for the inflation ceiling to which the CoLA adjustment will be limited, employers favor 3% instead of the 4% provided in the new framework submitted by the government. Even on this point, there appears to be room for negotiation.
The next step lies with the government
The Secretary-General of SEK, Andreas Matsas, told Politis that “it is up to the government to submit a proposal based on what has become known during the negotiations, so that there can be prospects for a positive outcome.”
“The government has a mediating, not a negotiating role,” he pointed out.
“Our positions are well known, as are the parameters within which we can move,” said the Secretary-General of PEO, Sotiroula Charalambous.
“One step would be to incorporate the CoLA into the next decree on the minimum wage,” she emphasized, so that more workers can benefit from it.
“The issue of extending the CoLA is a prerequisite for us,” said DEOK President Stelios Christodoulou, stressing that where collective agreements exist, it is important for the CoLA to apply to all workers, not just union members.
“We are expecting a proposal from the government, which we hope will be the final one and which will seriously take into account the positions of the trade union organizations on the matter,” said PASYDY Secretary-General Stratis Matthaiou to Politis.
Respect for the partners
“We are heading into a final effort with clear objectives, respect for our partners, but also with full determination to safeguard the competitiveness of our businesses and the sustainability of the public payroll in the difficult years ahead, within this fluid and fiercely competitive global economic environment,” said OEB Director-General Michalis Antoniou to Politis.
The Secretary-General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KEVE), Philokypros Rousounides, stated yesterday on Sigma’s Protoselido program that “the mutual respect and appreciation among social partners compel and oblige us to find a solution and make mutual concessions. I am cautiously optimistic that all this will happen very soon,” he emphasised.