The Federation of Employers and Industrialists (OEB) strongly condemns the strike actions announced by the Confederation of Cyprus Workers (SEK) and Pan Cypriot Labor Federation (PEO) unions in companies of Mechanical and Electrical Works and calls on the Ministry of Labor to intervene and cancel these announced strike measures.

In its statement, the FEI notes that "the unions' goal with the strike they are conducting in companies where they have members and where a corporate collective agreement signed by the same unions is applied, is to enforce the application of a Sectoral Collective Agreement in companies that do not have members."

Talking about paradoxical methods that violate labor institutions and the Industrial Relations Code, OEB criticizes the SEK  and PEO unions for "punishing" companies where they have a union presence and implementing a collective agreement, to force companies without unionized staff to sign a sectoral collective agreement with them.

"This incomprehensible attitude of the unions towards companies that respect their union obligations not only fails to attract companies that have no relationship with the unions but, on the contrary, pushes them away," OEB  adds, and states that "if these are the methods some will pursue to increase the coverage of collective agreements, we will find ourselves in dangerous and uncharted waters."

Finally, OEB calls on the Ministry of Labor, as the guardian of the Industrial Relations Code, "to intervene to cancel the announced irregular strike measures."

As mentioned in a statement from the councils of the PEO Builders and Technicians Union and OBIEK -SEK, following the deadlock declared by the Mediation Service of the Ministry of Labor and the decision of the workers in the Cyprus Mechanical and Electrical Works Contractors sector, a nationwide 24-hour warning strike will be held on Thursday, April 18.

"During the day of the strike, strike rallies will be held in all cities, demonstrating the determination to fight for the defence of collective agreements and their just demands, which provide for wage increases and benefits, as well as signing the Sectoral Collective Agreement that will cover all workers," the statement said.