in-cyprus 10 January 2020 -Edited by Annie Charalambous
Trade union leaders and workers in other countries very often go on indefinite strikes causing the state’s paralysis but Cypriots do not follow suit, Phileleftheros reports.
In fact, Ministry of Labour data shows that a total of 445 strikes took place in Cyprus between 1998 and 2018. And that the total number of employees abstaining from work was 202,289 at the loss of 835,955 working hours.
As for the crucial years of 2013-2018 when the island went through a financial crisis, a total of 189 strikes took place with 93,656 employees abstaining. A total of 24,717 working hours had been lost during that time.
Salaries of employees have been axed and a number of rights abolished over the past 20 years. There were 56 strikes in 2012 which was the year when the first measures of economic recovery had been taken. A total of 37,542 employees were absent from their jobs for an overall 48,294 hours.
In the following year, that is when the Memorandum of Understanding with the bankrupt island’s lenders came in effect, strikes had increased. In 2013, there were 47 strikes involving 44,089 workers. This meant that 605,464 working hours had been lost.
The fewest strikes took place in 2009 – only four- with a total of 200 employees abstaining from work. It appears that out of the 189 strikes that took place between 2013-2018, the majority were in the services sector.
At the same time, most of the workers who went on strike were from the construction industry.
Specifically, strikes between 2013-2018 concerned the following sectors:
-In the field of services, 46 strikes took place affecting 18,200 employees. Over 60,000 hours of work were lost during the strikes.
-A total of 40 strikes were recorded in the construction sector, affecting more than €41,000 labourers and nearly 610,000 working hours lost.
-In the transport and communications sector, there were 37 strikes with 16,888 employees abstaining, losing 19,000 hours of work.
-A total of 23 strikes took place in the sectors of commerce, restaurants and hotels. Over 16,000 employees participated in them during which over 3,000 hours of work were lost.
-In the manufacturing sector, 23 strikes took place with the participation of around 2,000 workers. Overall, more than 4,500 hours were lost.
-In the field of financial institutions, there were five strikes involving 4,296 employees. A total of 3,113 working hours were lost.
-In the electricity sector, nine strikes took place.
-In the farming area, only one strike was recorded.
