Doctors’ strike called off

By Athena Karsera

BREAKAWAY state doctors’ union Pasyki yesterday announced that their planned strike on Tuesday has been cancelled.

The decision ends the threat of an indefinite walk-out by government doctors from Pasyki and umbrella civil servants’ union Pasydy.

The compromise was reached after a Pasyki emergency general assembly yesterday. The meeting followed an statement by Finance Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou on Friday that the government would negotiate with both unions.

Christodoulou made the announcement after chairing a ministerial committee. Having previously insisted that negotiations would only be held with Pasydy, he said: “A chance must be given to the union side, Pasydy and the Pancyprian union of government doctors (Pasyki), to air its opinions on demands it believes the official side should consider.”

Pasyki was formed when ninety-eight per cent of state doctors abandoned Pasydy five months ago. The move was made after doctors claimed their rights were not being protected well enough.

The state doctors want higher pay and bigger pensions and are campaigning for a Cyprus health service. A four-hour strike was staged on November 19 and a 24-hour strike the next day. Back-up teams at all hospitals provided emergency cover during both strikes.

Some tension exists between the two unions. Pasydy’s general secretary Glafcos Hadjipetrou said on Friday” “Pasydy is capable of negotiating on behalf of the doctors… and I don’t know why this point has escaped the finance minister’s attention.” Hadjipetrou then called on doctors to abandon their breakaway union.

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