WORKER ’ S FORUM
news in English
Editing-Translation by Natasa Miltiadous E-mail: ergatiko-vima@peo.org.cy
Εργατικό Βήμα wednesday 20 September 2017
13
Unacceptable statements for minimum salary
Health and safety are the employees’ rights and obligation for the employers
PEO strongly and directly reacted to the statement of the Minister of Finance regarding the amount of the minimum salary in Cyprus. PEO issued an announcement expressing its surprise regarding the position of the Minister that the minimum salary, which by a decree of the Minister of Labour covers a small amount of professions, seems to him as high. “We find sad the fact that in a country, as certified by Eurostat data, is first all over the E.U. in reducing the salaries and widening the social inequality, instead of the Minister of Finance being concerned as how to increase the salaries and t reduce the social inequality, he is concerned about how to reduce the minimum salary”, as denounced by PEO. “The Minister of Finance should understand that such a movement on behalf of Anastasiades’ government shall actually be a message for a new attack against the living standard of the who employees, have almost exclusively paid the downgrading to the living standard within the frameworks of the crisis”, as PEO continues and warns that in such an attempt it will find the Trade Union Movement against it. PEO S.G., Pambis Kyritsis stated that the reference of Mr. Charis Georgiades is arbitrary since just a few professions are protected by the decree of the Labour Ministry for the minimum salary, in a country that is champion in reductions of salaries and social inequality.
PEO expresses its strong concern for the great increase of the labour accidents in our country, which as shown by the official data since 2014 it tends to be continuous. According to the most recent data, in the first semester of 2017 a total of 1053 accidents were reported at the Labour Inspection Department, increased by 21.7% in relation to the first semester of 2016 when 865 accidents were reported. This increase does not even surpass the increase of 19.4% presented for 2016 in relation to 2015. “The deregulation of labour which unfortunately is increasing in the last years in our country, is proved as defining factor for the increase of labour accidents. It is clear that the health and safety measures at work are downgraded due to the cuts made by the employers within the frameworks of the reduction of the labour cost and the intensification of work that chasing for profit imposes since it is for profit that health and safety measures are sacrificed”, as denounced by PEO. As stressed by PEO, health and safety are the right of employees and obligation of employers. “We demand from the employers to undertake their responsibilities against employees and to take all the necessary measures to reduce the labour accidents and the employees to return to their houses being healthy and safe. The total planning for prevention of labour accidents and the systematic controls are required to be the top priority of the state. The defined campaigns and the public guidelines for the employers cannot control the phenomenon of downgrading the health and safety issues by a great part of employers”, as stressed by PEO. The data showing the high and continuous increase of the labour accidents, hit the bell. PEO stresses that a complete planning must be done to face the phenomenon of increasing the labour accidents and a total evaluation of all the mechanisms occupying with health and safety of employees issues is also imposed. All employers must be obliged to provide training and knowledge to newly employed workers on health and safety issues. The Minister of Labour also needs to intensify its action in the sector of Health and Safety and to be decisive against those employers violating the legislation.
No setback from agreements in labour institutions Regarding the arbitrary pause of the negotiation made according to the Framework Agreement in the wider public sector, PEO S.G. stressed that no setback is accepted from agreements in labour institutions because the good faith that shall govern such agreements is at risk. The Finance Minister sent a letter by which he arbitrarily terminates the dialogue, a fact that caused strong upheaval among the employees in the public sector. In his statements, PEO S.G. stated that the gains for increases in the public sector did not surpass the capabilities of GDP, while the Finance Minister with his letter chose to terminate the dialogue. Trade Unions replied to the Minster via a letter by which they ask for dialogue and while waiting for the reply their collective instruments will meet to make decisions.
Towards the Pancyprian Organizational Conference of SIDIKEK 2017 is an important stop for SIDIKEK-PEO not only because by memorandum the update of all its Sectoral Bodies is provided but actually because it is the year or restructuring and regaining after the slogan given by PEO. Since the start of the year until June, the effectuation of Meeting and Conferences of the Sectors has started in all the Organizations and their completion will come after the effectuation of the Pancyprian Organizational Conference on 4 October. During the Meetings and the Conferences, the consequences of the crisis, the memorandum and the neoliberal policies on the society and the employees were discussed that led their living standard 20 years back while at the same time the profit of capitalistic class and the big enterprises have been increased. During the same time, under this pressure, the Trade Union Movement fought for securing the institution of organization, the Labour Relations system and the protection of the Collective Agreements while it has also fought to prevent the privatization of Organizations and the full implementation of neoliberal policies. Today, and after the exit from the memorandum, the government keeps implementing the same policies. Obsession to the policies of privatization, devaluation and undermining of Organizations (CYTA, EAC, CYBC, etc). Also, it continues the policy of cuts in all the sectors and refuses to bring the salaries and benefits back even in the case of Framework Agreement that was signed by the Trade Union Movement. Discussing towards the Pancyprian Organizational Conference of SIDIKEK PEO, the employees know that there is no other way rather than the fight and claim. Gradual return of salaries and benefits, the full implementation of regulated Labour Relations and the prevention of privatizations and the services purchase are the main goals of the Union. At the Pancyprian Organizational Conference, the prerequisites for the success that is the right operation, the update and contact with the employees and strengthening the unity and fighting spirit of the employees shall be discussed.
PEO asks for repairing the injustice in the Law on Paternal Leave against unmarried fathers PEO S.G., Pambis Kyritsis sent a letter to the Minister of Labour by which he congratulates, on behalf of PEO, the recent voting of the Law for paternal leave and it askes to repair the injustice against the unmarried dads. Specifically, the said Law serves on the one hand the goal of equality between the two genders and on the other it supports the new working couples that decide to have a child. However, PEO realizes that the Law was a weakness since it offers the right to permit and benefit only to a “working husband whose wife gave birth to a child or had a child through a surrogate mother or himself or his wife have adopted a child”. In other words, it excludes a working man who becomes a father but he has not committed a wedding. PEO states that this provision goes against both to the data and developments in the Cypriot society and the whole philosophy of the Law. PEO S.G. asks from the Labour Minister to promote a relevant amendment to the Law covering the employee becoming a father, by providing the birth certificate of the child (where the father’s name is recorded) instead of the marriage certificate.