Filenews 29 May 2024
Redundancy letters were received last night by workers at Larnaka port and marina from Kition Ocean Holdings Ltd, following the termination of its contract by the Ministry of Transport on Monday.
Therefore, the meeting of workers' representatives with the Ministers of Labour and Transport, scheduled for Thursday morning, has been moved to this afternoon at 4pm.
"Last night letters of dismissal were given to Kition employees by the company," said OMEPEGE-SEK General Secretary Charalambos Avgousti, noting that today the employees are normally at the port, although they have been laid off.
"The meeting with the two Ministers has been brought forward to this afternoon, after the Council of Ministers," he added, noting that "we are waiting for the update on how they will be employed." He said that there are already assurances from the Ministers of Labour and Transport, while he also referred to statements by the President of the Republic on the same issue.
"I think we all have the will not to victimize these workers, so a way will be found," he said.
He noted that a preliminary discussion had taken place on Monday with the Minister of Labour, where some ideas on how to solve the issue were discussed. "I think something of what we discussed on Monday will be implemented," he said, noting that he was optimistic.
Today the port works under the guidance of the Port Authority, he added, clarifying, however, that employees cannot be employed by the Port Authority. He confirmed that the port is working normally, even though the cranes and machinery owned by Kition are not being used. "Ships are loaded and unloaded with other machinery," he said, citing workers as saying it might be a bit slower.
"I hope that in the afternoon we will have clearer answers," Avgousti said, noting that "it is the only way to find a solution," as the workers are the ones who have been carrying out the work at the port for the last two years and "it is necessary to stay in the port for the smooth transition and work of the port."
For her part, the General Secretary of SEGDAMELIN PEO, Natia Kyritsi, said that a letter was given by Kition on Tuesday night, with the company considering that it no longer has employees.
"Our position is that the same job Kition had will be taken by someone else. He has to give it to the workers who are inside and doing it," he said, noting that these are people who are trained, professional, with regulated working conditions, who know through the Collective Labor Agreement and employers and employees their working conditions.
"The new regime should employ the workers who did the port work, on the same terms and in their collective agreement," he said. It clarified that the existing collective agreement expires on June 1, 2025, when it will be renewed.
Asked if with the assumption of the port's activities by the Port Authority the state is considered their employer, she replied that it is not clarified, noting that for May Kition has an obligation to pay the employees' debts.
As he said, the port employs cavodettes, porters, crane drivers, technical electrical engineers, the logistics department and office staff.
He noted that on Monday, at a meeting, the Minister of Labor said that the Government is positive and does not want to victimize any worker.
"Today all these issues should be clarified, there should be an agreement on under what status" the workers will work, he said, stressing that it is non-negotiable that these workers have the right to continue.
Asked to confirm that the port is working normally, under the Port Authority, she said that "yes, it is working normally, with the consent of the workers."
Moreover, in statements on Tuesday night, the President of the Republic asked "that there should be no concern especially for the workers" on the issue of the port, which is one of the issues that will be discussed in the Council of Ministers on Wednesday morning.
The termination of the contract with Kition, worth a total of €1.2 billion, was announced on Monday by the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeadis, saying that this decision was essentially taken after consultations with the Legal Service.
KYPE
