Airline union says pay rise still top priority

By Jean Christou

CYPRUS Airways (CY) cabin crew and management will meet on June 16 to work out an agenda to resolve differences, but pay claims remain the priority, the Cynika union warned yesterday.

The two sides in the dispute, which came within a whisker of an all-out strike by cabin staff yesterday, began an open dialogue late on Thursday after the intervention of a ministerial committee.

Communications and Works Minister Leontios Ierodiaconou listened to the views of both sides and put forward some proposals.

“It has been agreed that the two sides will meet on June 16 to work out a programme to resolve the differences,” a Cynika source said.

But he added that while the union was willing to discuss longer term problems, they would insist that their pay demands be given priority.

Cynika wants a 4.5 per cent in wages and other benefits for its members; the union agreed to call off the strike on Thursday after the meeting with the ministerial committee.

Union sources denied reports yesterday that they had backed off under threat that the government would liberalise air transport on the island. This would open the way to cheaper fares and the possible ruin of the national carrier.

“There were no threats made to us,” the Cynika source said. “Rather it was a matter of convincing us. The minister (Ierodiaconou) was constructive, and we agreed to call off the measures.”

A company source also denied that the union had been threatened, but said Cynika had been pushed against the wall.

“They understood that they were going too far and that everyone was against them,” the company source said.

Cynika says it now wants to see the drawing up of two different time frames to resolve the disputes.

“The pay rise is the first issue, and it is separate,” the union source said.

“Discussions on the other issues should run in parallel.”

The union demands compliance with an agreement signed with the company in 1995, entitling their members to the same pay rises as those agreed in the semi-government sector.

Pilots are also on the verge of strike action following failure to agree on the renewal of the collective agreement.

They will meet next Wednesday to take a decision.

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.