In a historic first for the Republic of Cyprus, low-earning hourly-paid government workers staged a 24-hour strike and marched to the Presidential Palace, demanding fair wage increases after a 17-year stalemate.

Historic Mobilisation for Dignified Wages

Chanting "No to starvation wages" and "Enough with the mockery, we are not second-class workers," hourly-paid government workers marched on Wednesday from the Ministry of Finance to the Presidential Palace, demanding salary increases as part of their first 24-hour strike since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.

The employees gathered at 10:00 at the Ministry of Finance and then, in an organized march, proceeded to the Presidential Palace, where representatives of the unions submitted a memorandum to the President of the Republic, asking for his intervention to reach an agreement with the Ministry of Finance.

According to the unions, hourly-paid workers have received only a 1.5% increase over the last 17 years.

A Cross-Sector Union Demand

The strike involved workers from all professions of the Hourly-paid Government Personnel, including skilled technicians, antiquities conservators, builders, cleaning staff, health services personnel, forest firefighters, firefighters, lifeguards, etc.

The General Secretary of the union Hourly-paid Workers Federation of SEK, George Constantinou, in his speech outside the Presidential Palace, stated that this is the first time in the history of the Republic of Cyprus that hourly-paid government personnel have gone on a 24-hour strike. "We are demanding salary increases," he said, adding that it is "unacceptable for the government to treat hourly-paid personnel with unfavorable treatment" while they provide significant work for the functioning of the state.

"We demand that the state listens to us and take us into account. We are not beggars. We demand that the state implement such policy decisions so that workers can live with dignity," said Stavros Andreou, General Secretary of PASEK, the hourly-paid federation of PEO. "We are paid the minimum wage," he said, adding that 30% of hourly-paid government workers are paid up to €1,500.

"We are low-paid, we cannot meet the demands of the economy with the wages we receive," said Andreas Antoniou, General Secretary of DEOK's federation of hourly-paid government staff, noted that since 2009 there has been a total increase of only 1.5%. "The country has one of the highest growth rates in Europe," he said, noting that they are demanding corresponding salary increases.

Protesters Seek Presidential Intervention

In the memorandum addressed to the President of the Republic, which was delivered to the Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, the protesters are asking for the President's intervention. "We turn to you with the expectation that you will intervene immediately so that an agreement can be reached for the renewal of the collective agreement for Hourly-paid Government personnel and to improve wages."

According to the memorandum, the requests for salary increases have been submitted since April of last year.

Government Response and Fiscal Restraint

In statements after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, which took place at the same time the protesters were outside the Presidential Palace, Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis said that dialogue on the subject is ongoing, while some of their requests were received positively by the Ministry of Finance, during Tuesday's meeting.

Konstantinos Letymbiotis said that the Government has demonstrated over the past three years its commitment to supporting low-paid employees. “The dialogue continues,” he said, noting that this was also the message conveyed to the representatives of the unions.

“The President of the Republic will be informed through the appropriate channels, and the dialogue will continue,” he added.

Asked to comment on statements made by the Minister of Finance, Makis Keravnos, on a private television channel that the demands being submitted are not entirely justified and exceed €50 million, Konstantinos Letymbiotis said it had been mentioned that one of the demands concerning salaries would cost approximately €30 million over a three-year period.

“You understand that these are not insignificant amounts. They are substantial sums that must be taken into account, in relation to the rest of the public sector, the level of salaries, and the financial capabilities of the state,” he added.

Source: CNA (ΚΥΠΕ)