Cyprus transport minister negotiates to avoid port worker strikes
A second meeting has been scheduled this week to avoid industrial action at Cyprus’ ports, after a meeting between transport minister Marios Demetriades and port worker unions broke down on Tuesday.
The two parties will meet again on Thursday to discuss Cyprus’ planned port privatisations, the transfer port workers to the civil service, the new structure of the ports authority and the voluntary retirement scheme.
Members of three port workers’ unions are planning a two-day strike on August 27 and 28 if their demands are not met. Workers at the port of Limassol went on a 24-hour strike earlier this month citing lack of progress in the dialogue with the government.
Unions are not happy that the retirement scheme is being implemented before ports are privatised. SYPALK boss Evgenios Zenonos said his trade union was dissatisfied with the transfer provisions because certain job functions in the ports could not be found elsewhere in the public sector with the same conditions and prospects.
“If the minister ensures there will be advancement in any of the structures we enter then we would gladly not go on strike,” Zenonos told Cypriot press.