An ad hoc committee is to be set up to try and resolve the ongoing dispute over certain staffers in the state health services (Okypy) with their employers, unions announced on Tuesday.
The ongoing debate concerns employees hired after 2019 on individual contracts, who unions are attempting to cover with collective agreements for.
On Tuesday, union reps met with Okypy officials “in a good climate”, however a chunk of “very serious matters have yet to be cleared up,” general secretary of Sidikek Peo union Nicos Georgiou told CNA.
The cost of living allowance (CoLA) is a non-negotiable request, where unions specify staffers should get the same as the broader public sector gets.
Where topics related to the career ladder are concerned, the ad hoc committee is set to be established next week, with a number of meetings slated to happen.
“Unions made it clear yet again that they cannot accept that in Okypy, as the organisation evolving to be the largest in Cyprus, will have different basic employment conditions than those which exist in other organisations.”
Georgiou said that though there was progress in the talks, “it is far from enough to resolve the dispute.” Last week, unions described the latest Okypy proposal as “akin to reheated food.”
The ad hoc committee is set to convene for the first time on February 9. Unions will evaluate the progress made during the session and respond, Georgiou added.
Echoing last week’s threats of “dynamic measures”, general secretary for Oekdi Sek Giorgos Constantinou told CNA that Tuesday’s session was better than the last and hoped it would stay that way so there wouldn’t be any consequences which would impact the public – alluding to strikes.
“We hope we can soon have the first collective agreement for staff that was hired with individual contracts. I hope things will progress positively without any consequences, so we don’t disrupt people, because it is a hassle when we need to take measures.”
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