Cyprus Public Transport is pleased that the inconvenience of the passenger public, due to the bus drivers' strike in Nicosia, has come to an end.
It also apologises once again for the inconvenience experienced in the last few days.
"From the very beginning of our operation, Cyprus Public Transport absorbed all the staff of the previous company with the commitment that it would keep the employees for at least one year. In the midst of the worst global crisis in a year and a half, the company still employs all the staff and - despite the crisis - we have started and are successfully continuing our mission, which is none other than to improve the quality of public transport services and make them equal to those of any other European city," he adds.
He notes that CPT is recruiting new drivers and additional staff to strengthen its team so that this very mission can be successful.
"However, there is a small number of staff that we have not been able, in this last year and a half, to retrain or move to other tasks. It is very important, in order to be able to provide high quality services, that the company is highly efficient and financially sound in order to continue its mission."
Therefore, he adds, "a termination process had been initiated with 36 employees, which resulted in a non-binding negotiation before the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Security, but without result or agreement."
It also states that the proposals made on behalf of the company, all aimed at minimising the social impact, were altogether rejected by the workers' unions.
"In the end, we proceeded to terminate the employment of 18 of the 36 employees, 5 of whom have secured other employment. In other words, we achieved a staff reduction of 70% less than required. This action resulted in the declaration of a strike, for the end of which the CPT and the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Security had an alternative proposal for termination, but the guilds rejected it and continued the strike," he notes.
It also states that in the days that followed, the unions raised a number of new issues and once again we offered to engage in a negotiating dialogue, which the unions again refused.
"In the end, Larnaca ended the strike first, followed by Nicosia, with all issues - including those raised only recently - being negotiated and an agreement reached. For our part, we have a commitment to all residents and citizens of Cyprus: to provide clean, sustainable and European-standard transport services to the country and nothing will stop us from doing so.
Cyprus Public Transport thanks the Minister of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance, Zeta Aimylianidou, and the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Yannis Karousos, as well as their staff for their assistance in resolving the issue.
"With transport services now restored, we would like to assure our customers that CPT will continue to make every effort to avoid future similar occurrences."
Source: CPT
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