‘We want an end to social injustice’

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias said yesterday he would likely meet next week with public servants union PASYDY to discuss the economy and reduction in public spending.
Christofias was to meet PASYDY immediately after Easter but the one meeting they did have was inconclusive.
Speaking at Larnaca airport before departing for London yesterday, Christofias said the matter of reducing numbers in the public sector was being handled by him personally.
“Most probably next week we will meet with (civil servants’ umbrella union) PASYDY, as well as the semi-state organisations’ unions, because I would like to believe that these measures also regard workers at semi-state organisations,” he said.
He said state’s economic package was designed to help reduce social injustice, something the government was working towards,
As part of this push, he announced that student grants would increase from €1,700 to €2,000 for families who have a lower annual income than €20,000.
Asked to comment on reactions by large families and students over the recently announced measures – Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis announced student and other public benefits would be reduced as a means of tidying up public finances – Christofias said he felt the measures were socially just. “If a parent or a student has an income of €100,000 and wants the grant to increase on top of that, I think this would be intensifying social injustice,” he said.
For this reason, he added, the new measures shouldn’t affect the lower-income families.
“Society demands more social justice and this government, following the financial crisis but also due to its beliefs, is moving in this direction,” said Christofias.
He added: “As part of this policy, vulnerable families that have an income of up to €20,000 and are entitled to a student grant, this grant will increase from €1,700 to €2,000.”
Christofias was on his way to the UK to attend the Overseas Cypriots’ Federation annual conference.

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