COMMUNICATIONS Minister Averoff Neophytou declared yesterday that the threatened strike by CyTA employees would not take place, a pledge followed later in the evening by an announcement by the unions that a compromise agreement had been reached.
Speaking after a meeting attended by representatives of all three telecommunications workers unions, CyTA management and the Finance Ministry, Neophytou confidently announced, “Under no circumstances will any form of industrial action take place on Monday.”
His announcement came following acceptance of the new agreement by the largest union (EPOET), and was later followed by announcement of acceptance of the new deal by PASE-ATYK and SYDYKEK-PEO.
At the meeting, the Finance Ministry tabled a compromise proposal on the issue of unification of the pay scales agreement reached by the unions with CyTA management and the Communications Ministry. Rather than a unification of the scales, the unions have accepted the government’s proposal to maintain the existing scales but with an extension allowing for two further increments that would enable pay increases on three of the scales. An industry insider said the new deal was likely to cost CyTA an additional £3 million year, but had allowed the government to avoid a situation where other government and semi-government organisations would also demand a unified pay scale and a sharp rise in labour costs.
It is understood the Finance Ministry backed down on the other three issues it was concerned about. The provision raising the retirement age to 63 in order to allow staff who had joined CyTA later in their careers to accrue the 33 years of service necessary for a full pension has been accepted on condition that it receives parliamentary approval, as it touches on pension regulations. The addition of the two extra days on the holiday calendar (Christmas Eve and Easter Tuesday) as well as the addition of one day to the holiday entitlement was accepted as the alternative for taking public holidays that fell on the weekend on the following Monday. The incentive scheme initiative, costing around £250,000 annually, was also agreed to, without affecting the £30 million annual budget.
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