There has been no progress in resolving the dispute over the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement for hourly-paid government employees, with the 24-hour island-wide strike scheduled for September 17 still in effect, representatives of OEKDY-SEK, PASYEK-PEO, and DEE-KDOKO-DEOK.
The three unions are awaiting a new government proposal that includes increases in salaries and starting wages, while also stating that they are open to dialogue in order to find a solution before the strike.
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George Konstantinou, speaking on behalf of OEKDY-SEK, noted that there had been no progress since August 5, when the decision to call the strike was made.
As he said, the unions expect the government to respond to their call to continue the dialogue, with the aim of reaching an agreement that provides for across-the-board pay raises for hourly-wage government employees.
“Our goal is not to go on strike or to cause hardship for the public or for workers. Our goal is to reach an agreement that improves wages, which are far too low,” he said.
The strike remains in effect, he said, noting that for any change to occur, there must first be dialogue and consensus on the part of the government to grant pay raises to its lowest-paid employees.
He added that these are employees who earn among the lowest wages in the country, even compared to the private sector.
Mr. Konstantinou expressed his hope that “reason and a humane approach” would prevail on the part of the government so that an agreement can be reached. He also noted that the unions are keeping workers informed through meetings, while remaining open to dialogue.
For his part, Stavros Andreou, speaking on behalf of PASYEK-PEO, said that employees are awaiting the convening of the Interministerial Committee, as provided for in the regulations of the Joint Labor Committee in the event of a disagreement, as well as a possible revision of the government’s proposal.
He noted that if this does not happen before September 17 or if the new proposal does not satisfy the unions, the 24-hour island-wide strike announced on August 5 will take place.
He said that hourly-wage workers in public schools, government departments, and public hospitals will participate in the strike.
He described the strike as a “last resort” in response to the current proposal, which, he noted, does not meet the workers’ current needs.
Mr. Andreou said that if a proposal is not submitted that includes increases in both current salaries and starting salaries, the unions will proceed with the measures planned for September 17.
“If there is still no different response from the government by then, we will escalate our measures even further,” he said.
He expressed, however, the hope that the strike would not have to take place, noting that the unions’ goal is not to take such measures or to inconvenience the public and children, as schools will also be affected.
Andreas Antoniou, on behalf of DEE-KDOKO-DEOK, stated that during a meeting of officials from the three unions on August 5, the proposal from the relevant ministry was reviewed and rejected.
As he said, the wages of these employees remain very low, and even the only across-the-board raise in the last 15 years fell short, in some cases, of the minimum amount of €28 received by the rest of the public sector.
Due to the low wages, he continued, the unions are demanding that the government come back with a proposal for raises that address the needs created by the cost of living.
Mr. Antoniou noted that, following the August 5 meeting, the unions had been expecting some response from the government but have not yet received any counterproposal.
“We are anxiously awaiting word on what will happen with this specific issue,” he said, confirming that the strike remains in effect as planned. He added that the unions expect to be invited to a dialogue, noting that there may be some delay due to the holiday season.
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Source: CNA
