Civil servants reaffirm strike threat over health scheme

By Andrew Adamides

THE CIVIL servants’ union Pasydy yesterday confirmed that it will take strike action if the government goes ahead with plans to implement a national health scheme without fully consulting it first.

The strike threats already made by Pasydy were confirmed in a statement made after a meeting also attended by primary and secondary teachers’ unions Poed and Oelmek and the Police Association. All three backed the strike actions.

The unions are concerned that contributions taken from wages towards the health scheme will exceed the amount they already pay out to their union health schemes. Pasydy is also concerned about the working conditions of health professionals it represents if the scheme is implemented.

Health Minister Christos Solomis announced earlier in the week that the bill will go before the House of Representatives in mid-February, despite any objections. Replying to the unions yesterday, he said he had arranged to meet Pasydy representatives to discuss the matter on January 18 but that the union had said it was not fully prepared for the meeting. As such, they had asked for the bill to be postponed until the level of contributions had been fully discussed.

Solomis said that he would arrange discussions on the matter as soon as possible, but that putting the bill before the House would not preclude parallel negotiations on any matters of concern relating to it.

The Health Minister also promised that the government would look after the working conditions of those civil servants involved in the medical profession, but warned that he would not allow the civil servants to block promotion of the bill.

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