‘The President is playing tough to get as much out of the staff as they can’
CYPRUS Airways (CY) pilots union PASIPY will hold a general assembly today to ask its members whether they will accept the government-approved rescue package for the company.
By tomorrow all unions must have submitted their answers to the controversial restructuring plan but despite grumblings, it is likely the unions will accept the deal.
The government also has a back up plan in case of trouble. It decided on Saturday that it would buy CY’s charter firm Eurocypria in case the national carrier was forced to close for any reason.
PASIPY chairman Polis Economou said yesterday reaction among the union’s members was mixed. He said the union had done what the government asked them, which was to come up with ways to save £2.4 million.
“We have done what they asked and if anything we have done more,” he said. “If they do not accept what we offered them it means they are not being honest with us and don’t really want to save the company. It will mean all they want to do is get rid of 50 per cent of the staff and probably most of the pilots.”
The company has asked for 500 people to volunteer for redundancy and has given staff until Thursday evening to submit their applications. The government is adamant that it will not negotiate further on the plan. President Tassos Papadopoulos said on Friday that “not one comma” would be changed.
Economou said the government appeared to be contradicting itself in terms of what it was planning. One the one hand the plan for CY calls for the merging of Eurocypria and CY operations but on the other hand the cabinet has taken a decision to buy the charter firm as a separate entity.
“I don’t think they know what they are saying,” Economou said. “I guess one of the ministers is playing the good guy and the President is playing tough to get as much out of the staff as they can. It’s up to them now to see if the plan they made is workable and can put the company on the right road.”
Costas Demetriou, the president of CY’s biggest union CYNIKA said yesterday they would hold their general assembly on Wednesday morning and give their response the same evening. “The first indications are that we will respond positively,” he said.
