By Stefanos Evripidou
THE POWERFUL civil servants union PASYDY on Thursday warned the government that if it took unilateral decisions on reducing allowances in the public sector it could face “destructive” consequences.
Public employees met with the PASYDY leadership to discuss recent reports of a massive cut in allowances like overtime pay and extra pay for shift work in the public sector.
Speaking on Tuesday ahead of the troika’s arrival to review implementation of the adjustment programme for Cyprus, Finance Minister Harris Georgiades said the government wanted to avoid increasing taxes or reducing public sector salaries, while at the same acknowledging that in relative terms, Cyprus had the most expensive public sector payroll in Europe.
Instead, the aim was to curb expenditure by shaving off €700m from next year’s state budget. This would be achieved by containing the size of the public sector and reducing allowances for overtime and shift work, he said.
In response, PASYDY said, given the dire state of public finances, public employees are willing to discuss the matter with the government within the framework of the Joint Personnel Committee to reach agreement on “rational and balanced” adjustments.
The union warned it would not “tolerate the imposition of unilateral adjustments”, which would “inevitably” lead to a disturbance of the peace in key sectors of the public sector, “which in the current climate would prove highly detrimental and destructive”.
Georgiades’ comments also sparked a strong reaction from the police association, whose head, Andreas Symeou told reporters on Wednesday that the force’s members would take dynamic action if unilateral decisions were taken on reducing allowances for police who work on Sundays, holidays and shifts.
“We will react immediately and regardless of the consequences in the police force and beyond,” said Symeou.
He argued that police have “paid the lion’s share” of the government’s cost-cutting measures so far.
“We have given enough, and they took away most of our allowances, leaving us with very little. If they take away these allowances then the police force, which is responsible for the security of the state and society, will collapse with unpredictable consequences,” he added.
