Planned port strike postponed for now

WORKERS at Limassol port yesterday decided to postpone the strike they planned for tomorrow, saying they would await the outcome of a meeting between unions and employers.

The workers’ unions – OMEBEGE SEK and SEGDAMELIN – PEO – had announced their decision to strike to protest their employers’ decision to freeze their collective agreements due to the economic crisis, meaning they would not have any pay rises or other benefits in the foreseeable future.

The head of the Limassol Licensed Porters Association, Stavros Stavrou, yesterday called on the unions to comprehend the difficulties and take on some of the burdens of the crisis, “so that we can avoid redundancies, which the association doesn’t want either”.

He said discussions needed to take place in order to reach a solution that will be accepted by both sides.

Workers’ unions are scheduled to meet with the Employers and Industrialists’ Federation (OEV) tomorrow, to discuss alterations on the workers’ collective agreements.

There are some serious points of dispute, with employers seeking a freeze on the Cost of Living Allowance (CoLA) and unions making it clear that this would never be accepted.

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