Eurocypria pilots unhappy with compensation proposal

EUROCYPRIA (ECA) pilots yesterday described as unacceptable a government proposal for compensation after the airline went bust last month.

The proposal has not been officially handed over to the staff yet but some information was leaked to the media following its submission to the cabinet yesterday.

“It is not what was expected. It is not fair for all employees,” the chairman of ECA pilots Andreas Kalos said. “It cannot be accepted as is.”

Kalos said the staff expected the official proposal on Monday but was unsure if it would be a take-it-or-leave-it offer.

“I think it will be open for discussion but I am not sure.”

It is understood that the proposal is for €6.2 million to be shared among 284 employees depending on their years of service.

SEK Trade union representative Eliseos Michael declined comment saying he did not have the details of the proposal.

“I am waiting for the (finance) minister to set up a meeting for next week,” he said.

According to daily newspaper Alithia, pilots, co-pilots and other senior staff will receive between €6,000 and €93,000 in compensation under the government plan.

Other staff should expect between €1,050 and €33,600.

Also, if an ECA pilot is hired by Cyprus Airways within seven months of receiving their compensation they will have to return it, Alithia said.

Earlier this week, ECA creditors appointed a liquidator to oversee the company’s dissolution.

ECA employees have already received their November salaries, the percentage of their 13th salaries, and cashed out their provident fund.

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.