THE head of public servants’ umbrella union PASYDY yesterday rubbished reports that government workers were prepared to accept a wage scale freeze for another two years to help the government’s efforts at an economic recovery.
Glafcos Hadjipetrou said public servants had already made enough concessions and claimed that the government was behind the reports as a means of pushing for more concessions.
Daily newspaper Phileleftheros reported yesterday that government and unions – specifically PASYDY, left wing PEO and right wing union SEK – were about to conclude an agreement to freeze pay scale rises in the broader public sector for two years.
The sector includes those working in the central government, semi-government organisations and local authorities.
It said the concessions were part of the unions’ pledges to President Demetris Christofias, when they met in May last year, to discuss how the public service could help deal with the economic crisis.
The report said the new “agreement” was expected to save the state €69 million and provided for a freeze in general pay rises for the next two years, which are usually around 1.3 per cent every year.
Hadjipetrou said yesterday the publication was “untrue and unfounded” and it provoked unnecessary tension to those affected, ruining any sign of good will that may exist.
“Public servants have already offered €27 million a year by agreeing not to seek general pay rises,” said Hadjipetrou, referring to the annual salary increase the sector receives as a whole. “However, they have wage scales as well and are entitled to wage scale rises,” he added.
“The official government side could be behind such publications, to create a negative climate and exercise more pressure,” an evidently angry Hadjipetrou said. “They are not going to influence us this way.”
Later yesterday, SEK officially announced its decision to approve the agreement achieved between unions and the government last May, providing for no general pay rises in 2010 and 2011.
The union’s general secretary, Nicos Tambas, said it had been approved under the condition that the other unions would show “similar behaviour.”
If not, he added, “from now on, they shouldn’t expect the employees of the broader public sector to respond to anything else”.
The May 20 agreement provided for a freeze in general pay increases, in the range of 1.0 per cent, for two years to save €54 million in total.
Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said discussions between government and unions did not specifically concern a pay freeze, but the overall contribution of the public sector to efforts to save cash and tackle the economic crisis.
“There is an ongoing dialogue between the government and trade unions regarding the contribution of public servants… but there isn’t currently anything to be announced,” Stefanou said.
He said the discussion was based on the government’s package for the economy, which was announced in December and provided, among others, for public servants to contribute €35 million this year and another €35 million in 2012.
