Petrol workers march

By Athena Karsera

Concerned petrol refinery workers yesterday marched outside the Commerce, Industry and Tourism Ministry asking for a guarantee of their livelihood from the government.

The workers presented a petition to Commerce Minister Nicos Rolandis asking for a final answer on whether the Cyprus Oil Refinery will be upgraded or moved elsewhere.

Rolandis said the issue would be discussed at the Council of Ministers meeting today while the two choices were first announced in June this year.

In the long term, the government plans to demolish the Larnaca refinery and, instead of replacing it with a new one, build tank farms capable of holding at least 90-days supply worth of refined petroleum products, in accordance to EU rules. However, the planned $40-million upgrade would involve its retention for a possible 15 years.

The demonstration yesterday followed a protest last week by the Larnaca Progressive Movement, which on Saturday marched from Acropolis Square in the town’s center, to the Municipal Square.

The Movement, made up of Larnaca residents, said that they did not want the refinery to be upgraded or for any storage tanks to be added, they just wanted the refinery completely removed.

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.