President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday called on social partners to contribute to reaching compromise agreements to safeguard workers’ rights as trade unions marked the International Labour Day.
Cyprus’ long history of labour peace is due to the well-developed functioning of tripartite social dialogue, the president said. He added that social partners, such as employees and employers unions, have a high sense of responsibility and maturity and that they adopt decisions and policies which “over time respond to the needs of society and the potential of the economy”.
“I have the strong belief that the social partners will act accordingly and compromise agreements will be reached with a direct positive impact for workers and safeguarding their rights,” Christodoulides said in a written statement to mark May Day.
He noted that the state is also seeking the same goals through its efforts with the recent compromise proposal on the CoLa (cost of living allowance) which aims in this direction.
The proposal, which was met with disappointment by trade unions, specifies renewing the 2017 interim agreement for another three years and increasing CoLA to two-thirds of the Consumer Price Index. This would mean CoLA will go up to a 66.67 per cent share from the current 50 per cent.
“The state must ensure that working conditions are safe and decent, that wages are fair and satisfactory, that rules are enforced and that laws are observed without any discrimination, the president’s statement added.
Both the development of the economy and the cohesion of society cannot be achieved without putting the human at the centre, he said, highlighting the importance of the social struggles that led to the establishment of workers rights.
The importance of the human-centred approach highlighted Sek trade union in their own call to the social partners and the state to respect employees by contributing to the improvement of the working environment.
Commenting on the CoLa compromise proposal, Sek said it should be “improved in terms of the gradual increase in the rate of the CoLa restoration” adding that it will work towards this direction.
The minimum national wage should also be revised, the trade union said, citing inflation.
Meanwhile, the new challenges and changes in the labour market call for a new productive model, in the context of the green and blue economy. Issues interlinked with quality and dignity at work, occupational safety and health, investment in skills and certified standard qualifications should be key components of social dialogue and collective agreements, Sek added.
It is also imperative, Sek said, to address the problem of violence, harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace, through the code developed by Sek with other social partners. This conduct code has been incorporated into collective agreements.
Sek held a large event at the union’s headquarters in Nicosia which was attended by the Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou, House President Annita Demetriou and various MPs.
Trade union Peo also organized events in all districts with marches and artistic programmes, as well as a bicommunal event in the capital.
For its part, public primary teachers’ union Poed send a message of solidarity and highlighted the role of the education community in the struggles of workers in Cyprus and abroad.
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