No progress has been made in the dispute over renewing the collective agreement for hourly-paid government staff, with the 24-hour, island-wide strike set for 17 September still standing, representatives of the Federation of Government Employees' Unions-SEK, the Pancyprian Union of Public Service Employees-PEO, and the Democratic Labour Federation of Cyprus told CNA on Thursday.
According to CNA, the three unions are awaiting a new government proposal that would include increases to both wages and starting salaries, while saying they remain open to dialogue in the hope of reaching a solution before the strike date.
Unions say no progress since 5 August
Giorgos Constantinou, representing the Federation of Government Employees' Unions-SEK, told CNA there had been no development since 5 August, when the strike was formally called. He said the unions expect the government to respond to their call to resume dialogue, with the aim of reaching an agreement providing for general wage increases for hourly-paid government staff.
"Our aim is neither the strike nor causing hardship for the public or for workers. The aim is to reach an agreement that improves wages, which are extremely low," he said, according to CNA.
The strike, he added, remains in force, noting that any change would require prior dialogue and government willingness to grant increases to the lowest-paid staff among those it employs, whose wages, he said, are among the lowest in the country, even compared with the private sector. Constantinou expressed hope that "reason and a humane approach" would prevail on the government's side so that an agreement could be reached, and said the unions were briefing workers through assemblies while remaining open to dialogue.
Pancyprian Union of Public Service Employees-PEO cites ministerial committee provisions
Stavros Andreou, representing the Pancyprian Union of Public Service Employees-PEO, told CNA that workers were awaiting the convening of the Council of Ministers' committee, as provided for under the regulations of the Joint Labour Committee in the event of a disagreement, along with a possible revision of the government's proposal. He said that if this does not happen before 17 September, or if the new proposal fails to satisfy the unions, the 24-hour, island-wide strike announced on 5 August will go ahead. The strike, he said, would involve hourly-paid staff at public schools, government departments and public hospitals.
He described the strike as a "last resort" response to the current proposal, which he said failed to reflect workers' present-day needs, and said that if no proposal including increases to both wages and starting salaries is submitted, the unions will proceed with the planned measures on 17 September. "If there is still no different response from the government by then, we will escalate our measures further," he said. He added, however, that he hoped the strike would not prove necessary, noting that the unions' goal was neither to take industrial action nor to cause hardship for the public or for children, since schools would also be affected.
Democratic Labour Federation of Cyprus: proposal rejected on 5 August
Andreas Antoniou, representing the Democratic Labour Federation of Cyprus, told CNA that the relevant ministry's proposal had been examined and rejected at a meeting of the three unions' officials on 5 August. He said wages for this category of staff remain very low, adding that even the sole general increase granted over the past 15 years had, in some cases, fallen short of the minimum amount of €28 received by the rest of the public sector.
Because of the low wages, he said, the unions are demanding that the government return with a proposal for increases that reflects the pressures created by the cost of living. Antoniou said that following the 5 August meeting, the unions had expected some response from the government, but had not yet received any counterproposal. "We are waiting anxiously to hear what will happen with this issue," he said, confirming that the strike remained formally in effect. He added that the unions expect to be called to dialogue, noting that some delay was possible given the summer holiday period.
Source: CNA
