HOURLY WORKERS - THE 24 HOUR STRIKE OF 17 SEPTEMBER IS IN FORCE - SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS WILL BE AFFECTED - Filenews 20/8
The 24-hour nationwide strike of hourly paid government employees on September 17 remains in force, as there has been no development in the dispute over the renewal of their collective agreement.
Representatives of OEKDY-SEK, PASYEK-PEO and DEE-KDOKO-DEOK told KYPE on Thursday that they are waiting for a new government proposal, which provides for increases in both salaries and hiring wages.
The three unions say they are open to dialogue, with the aim of reaching an agreement before the strike, which is expected to involve hourly workers in public schools, government departments and public hospitals.
"The strike is not our goal"
Giorgos Konstantinou, on behalf of OEKDY-SEK, stated that there was no development after August 5, when it was decided to announce the strike.
As he said, the unions expect the Government to respond to their invitation to continue the dialogue, with the aim of reaching an agreement that will provide for general increases in the salaries of hourly paid government staff.
"It is not our goal to strike or to inconvenience the people or the workers. The aim is to reach an agreement that improves wages, which are very low," he said.
Mr. Konstantinou noted that, in order to differentiate the decision to strike, there should be a dialogue and there should be a consensus from the Government to grant increases to the lowest paid staff.
He argued that hourly workers receive some of the lowest wages in Cyprus, even compared to the private sector.
The unions, he added, are proceeding to inform the workers through assemblies, remaining open to negotiations.
They expect the convening of the Committee of Ministers
Stavros Andreou, on behalf of PASYEK-PEO, said that the workers expect the convening of the Committee of Ministers, as provided by the regulations of the Joint Labor Committee in case of disagreement.
As he said, if the Committee is not convened before September 17 or if the new government proposal does not satisfy the unions, the strike will take place normally.
He described the mobilization as a "last measure of reaction" to the existing proposal, which, according to the unions, does not meet the current needs of the workers.
Mr. Andreou warned that, if there is no different reaction from the Government after the strike, the unions will consider further escalation of the measures.
He expressed, however, the hope that an agreement will be reached, in order to avoid inconvenience to the public and students, as the strike will also affect the operation of schools.
The government proposal was rejected
Andreas Antoniou, on behalf of DEE-KDOKO-DEOK, stated that the proposal of the competent Ministry was examined and rejected during the meeting of the three unions on August 5.
According to him, the salaries of hourly paid staff remain very low, while even the only general increase of the last 15 years was, in some cases, lower than the minimum amount of €28 received by the rest of the State.
The trade unions are asking the Government to come back with a proposal that responds to the pressures created by high prices.
Mr. Antoniou said that, despite the rejection of the previous proposal, no counter-proposal has been submitted so far. He confirmed that the strike is still in force, noting that the unions are waiting for an invitation to resume the dialogue.
