The labor unions representing hourly-wage government employees decided to suspend the 24-hour strike, following the intervention of the President of the Republic and a meeting held at the Presidential Palace, which was also attended by the Minister of Finance. The goal now is to reach an agreement on the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement by September 28.
Speaking on the “Alpha Kalimera” program, OEKDY-SEK General Secretary George Konstantinou stated that the President’s intervention paved the way for the negotiations to continue. “What we have agreed upon is that we will move forward with a process that will improve the wages of hourly-paid government employees and meet the demands we have submitted,” he said.
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As he explained, a specific timeline has been set, with a new meeting at the Presidential Palace on September 28 at 11:00 a.m. “On September 28, what we have agreed upon is that we will bring the entire process to a conclusion,” he stated, adding that any agreement reached will then be submitted to the Pancyprian Assembly of Workers’ Representatives for approval.
Mr. Konstantinou clarified that the unions’ demands are not new, but had been submitted as early as 2025, have already been reviewed and costed, and negotiations with the Ministry of Finance had begun. However, the two sides had been unable to bridge their differences, with wage increases being the main point of contention.
According to the Secretary General of OEKDY-SEK, prior to the President’s intervention, the unions had been informed that no wage increases would be granted, a fact that led to the decision to take strike action. “With the President’s intervention, this has been resolved, and we will move forward with the process to reach an agreement,” he said.
He expressed the view that there is now room for a positive outcome, noting that the President’s intervention aims to ensure the Ministry of Finance examines the issue “in a positive light.” “Any agreement will be presented to the workers for their approval, as we always do,” he concluded.
