SEVERAL hundred members of Cyprus Airways’ (CY) largest union CYNIKA and the PASYPY pilots union went ahead with a planned strike at Larnaca airport yesterday to protest against the Finance Minister’s proposed merger with Eurocypria.
Two protests took place. The first involved 250 CY workers striking from 6am to 8am at Larnaca airport, causing delays of up to an hour to three Cyprus Airways flights, to Jeddah, Athens and Sofia.
The second took place around 8.45 am, when 350 union members marched from CY’s head office in Nicosia to the House of Representatives, where they passed a resolution to House President Marios Garoyian.
CYNIKA Chairman Andreas Pierides said yesterday “We met with Marios Garoyian, who said he understands (the unions’) concerns and that he and Finance Minister were trying to find a solution when they go to Brussels”.
A delegation of involved parties is scheduled to fly to Brussels on Friday to discuss the matter further. The delegation will include Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis, members of the PASYPI and CYNIKA unions and senior managers from the two airlines.
Asked why they were protesting, Pierides said “We don’t agree with what Stavrakis is trying to do. We don’t want to take on a loan of €45 million. Also if the plan gets the green light then 150 staff will have to go.”
Instead of forced redundancies after a possible merger, Pierides said it would be better to invite members of staff who are thinking of leaving to resign now. “We want people to leave voluntarily, and I think it is easily possibly to find 100 to 110 people who would volunteer.”
He said the government produces the figure of 150 redundancies, but did not break this down into job descriptions, and the unions do not know how many cabin crew, cockpits or engineers would go under the new plans.
Asked about yesterday morning’s demonstrations, Pierides said that this was the first time in his 38 year career that he saw all of the employees from different unions, grades and professions sharing the same worry.
“I want to think positive and work through the union to make a solid airline,” he said.
Stavrakis defended the decision for Cyprus Airways to take over Eurocypria and its 320-man-strong staff last week, as both companies had come near bankruptcy due to long standing problems and wrong decision taking.
He said that the prospective savings of merger could amount to €12-14 million annually.
