Workers at a hotel in Paphos went on strike Thursday, demanding that the managers pay them a cost-of-living-allowance (CoLA) and to honour a collective agreement.
The workers were seen standing outside the hotel holding placards that read ‘Hands of CoLA’ and ‘CoLA for all’.
The regional director of trade union Peo’s hotel sector, Nikos Savvides said that he was disappointed by the hotel managers for breaking the law.
He also announced that if the workers fail to get the increases, CoLA, and retroactive pay, they are not going to start work.
Savvides said that the work stoppage will continue indefinitely.
“Unfortunately, eleven Paphos hoteliers are not implementing the agreement reached last October to grant increases to workers in the industry, noting that the unions support the workers’ strikes.
At this stage, no dialogue has been held since the management’s attitude is to threaten and blackmail [EMPLOYEES],” he said.
Koullis Ignatiou, the Sek union leader for hotel workers in Paphos, said that the employees of the hotel have been paid, but CoLA has not been added, despite the attorney-general’s office recommendations.
“There are decisions and opinions according to which all employees must receive CoLA, which was implemented in many hotels, but some companies did not implement it,” he said.
Ignatiou said that many companies in Paphos have failed to give their employees CoLA, and they expect them to get in line.
He said that 70 per cent of other businesses in Paphos give CoLA.
“Unions do not want to confront anyone, but what is agreed by law needs to be respected,” he said.
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