THE ONGOING dispute between Exxon-Mobil and BP airport staff over provisions in a collective agreement regarding pension and redundancy pay rises has yet to be resolved, as workers yesterday went ahead with a 48-hour strike at Larnaca and Paphos airports.
A BP spokeswoman told the Cyprus Mail yesterday the deadlock with unions PEO, SEK and POAS was still under discussion.
“As far as we know the strike has taken place but we are not sure at the moment if the measures will continue tomorrow because more talks on the agreement are expected to be held this evening,” she said.
“Discussions are still going on. Both parties are meeting again tonight and if an agreement is reached then the strike should be called off tomorrow.”
The workers, who held a 24-hour warning strike last Friday, announced the 78-hour strike on Thursday, claiming the companies had made no efforts to resolve the matter.
“We understand the problems that would arise for petroleum consumer but the responsibility lies with the companies who rejected the Labour Ministry’s mediating proposal,” a statement from the unions said on Wednesday.
BP has assured the public that the strike will not affect petrol stations on the island as the employees there are on a different scheme.
Flights were not affected yesterday, with planes refuelling at other airports.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
