Parties row over workers’ rights

DISY vice president Lefteris Christoforou yesterday rejected Demetris Christofias’ projection of himself as the sole pursuer of workers’ rights, saying the government’s pre-election pledges were vastly misleading, considering most of their promises to workers remained unrealised for the past four and a half years.

He added that promises of the government’s aims to realise their workers’ rights package before the end of their term would lead to demagogy.

Christofias had said that AKEL – as the most conscientious power for the promotion of the government’s people-friendly programme – would protest any digressions from the pre-election plan.

He added that President Tassos Papadopoulos had offered his party’s reassurances for the realisation of some of the matters pointed out by AKEL.

Christofias said that different policies had been implemented from those set in the programme, which he said was “what we are fighting for”.

Christoforou also wondered how commitments to increase tax-free revenue, pensions, wages and viability levels would be realised in such a short amount of time, when for the past four and a half years nothing had been done.

Responding to on Christoforou’s comments, which also accused the government of reducing workers’ income in the past few years, Christofias said the claims were all fairytales.

He pointed out that there had been an increase in nominal and real wages, but added that his party wished for further increases.

“I believe that these communicational ruses by the DISY leadership, which when it was in power it mutilated the Cost of Living Allowance and plotted against workers’ rights, such as the right to strike,” Christofias concluded.

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