BULLETIN PEO JANUARY 2019

B LLETIN

PEO

JANUARY 2019

CONTENTS

Page : 1

Big event in honor of the 1948 Miners and Construction Workers strike Page : 3 PEO’s main goal is to re-regulate labour relations and restore social balance

BIG EVENT IN HONOR OF THE 1948 MINERS AND CONSTRUCTION WORKERS STRIKE

With a political and cultural event in honor on 14th December at the Federation’s Amphitheatre in Nicosia, PEO celebrated the 70th anniversary since the great 1948 strike of the Construction workers and Miners. 1948 was a milestone in the history of the class-based trade union movement of and quite rightly the great strikes of 1948, hold a special place in its history’s brightest pages. For four months, thousands of construction workers and miners struggled for the self-evident. In an unprecedented movement of solidarity and mobilization that spread throughout Cyprus and with their just cause, heroism and the support of the people as their only weapon.

They held on and withstood all attacks against them, united Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in the front line of the struggle, showing the way for the working people’s assertions today through mass, united and organized struggle.

Page : 4 Pensioner’s festival

-

Page : 5 Safety and Health over profits!

Page : 6 Enlarged Session of the Executive Committee of the Trade Unions International of Construction, Wood, Building Materials and Industries Page : 7 Meeting of peace and reunification, Saturday 20 October 2018 Page : 8 Solidarity with the French workers.

The striking workers didn’t only have to confront the brutal employers, but also a fierce anti-communism aimed at preventing anyone from resisting.

“My country is spending millions of dollars to fight communism around the world. It will not hesitate to spend a few thousand pounds more for the same purpose in Cyprus,” said Hendrix, General Manager of the American Company. “Better blue 12 hours, rather than 8 red hours,” the right-wing and strike breakers declared.

Keynote speakers at the event were the General Secretary of PEO Pambis Kyritsis. The Central Organisational Secretary of AKEL Christos Alekou conveyed the greetings of the C.C. of AKEL. The General Secretary of the PEO Construction Workers Union Michalis Papanikolaou and the President of the Turkish-Cypriot Revolutionary Trade Union Organization DEVIS, Hasan Felek also addressed the event.

1

PEO bulletin The bi-communal group Theatre Group and artists of PEO took part in the cultural program with excerpts from the play written by Michalis Pitsillides “At The Ends Of The Earth� directed by Marios Stylianos. The actors Christos Karaiskos, Oya Akin and Loukia Mousouliotis took part in reciting poetry.

The actors of the PEO Theatre Group Marios Stylianou, Vassiliki Andreou, Haris Lambrou, Themis Poulos, Loukia Mousouliotis, Giorgos Andreou, Oya Akin and Christos Karaiskos also participated in a rich and moving cultural program.

The event ended with a musical journey by the distinguished musicians Petros Kouloumis (song, lute), Christos Filippou (piano, song) and Giorgos Dimitriou (bouzouki).

We recall that the event was preceded by numerous other events, as well as the unveiling of monuments dedicated to the heroic striking workers in Pelendri and Lefka.

The Historical Labour Museum of PEO and the Department Council of Nicosia-Kyrenia PEO, the District Committee of Nicosia-Kyrenia AKEL held an event was also held in Mitsero where mines were situated. The event had cultural content and included an exhibition with photos and objects of the Miners.

Unveiling of a monument for the memorial to honor the heroic fights of 1948 at PEO Rest Houses in Pelendri

PEO, DEVIS, and BES all members of WFTU with the collaboration of the mayor of Lefka, the place where the mines sited and took place the strikes, inaugurated a monument of the 1948 mass strikes.

2

PEO bulletin PEO’S MAIN GOAL IS TO RE-REGULATE LABOUR RELATIONS AND RESTORE SOCIAL BALANCE The General Council of PEO convened on 5 November 2018 and set the main objectives for the period ahead the promotion of Legislative arrangements to oblige employers to apply the Contracts and formulate through a mechanism for negotiation and dialogue an agreed framework of minimum employment conditions for those workers not covered by Collective Agreements, in connection with the process of renewing the all-Cyprus Sectoral Contracts.

In its decision, the General Council of PEO stressed that the current prevailing situation in labour relations cannot continue, given that the phenomenon of all-Cyprus Collective Agreements being signed, but not implemented by all employers is being observed, while at the same time deregulated and temporary forms of employment are increasingly being introduced.

As the session of the General Council of PEO underlined, this situation erodes and undermines the very foundations of the labour relations system and creates working conditions resembling mediaeval times for working people.

In order to achieve the goal of introducing legislation for the compulsory implementation of contracts, PEO will work with the rest of the Trade Union Movement by highlighting the re-regulation of labour relations and the restoration of the social balance that has been severely damaged by the crisis.

The PEO General Council also assessed the results of the renewal of the contracts that expired at the end of 2017 and at the beginning of 2018 and set out the policy to be pursued for the contracts under renewal, as well as the wider social assertions and demands of PEO. According to figures released, in 2018, 237 Collective Agreements or special agreements involving 48,550 employees were in the process of being renewed. 2018 was a decisive year in the promotion of policies aiming at restoring salaries and benefits that had been reduced as a result of the special agreements, given that in 171 Collective Agreements involving more than 22,000 workers and covering employees in private enterprises hourly paid civil servants, workers in school boards and workers in the wider public sector, the restoration of wages and benefits was achieved. Besides the restoration of wages, in a significant number of Contracts that completed their renewal wage increases were also achieved.

Based on the figures of the Trade Unions of PEO, the period ahead will see the process of renewal for 205 Collective Agreements covering more than 78,000 working people. In essence all Pancyprian sectoral collective contracts in the private sector (hotels, metallurgical industry, petroleum products and others), as well as contracts in the public and wider public sector, will be in the process of being renewed. The renewal of the collective contract in the Construction Industry is also pending.

Regarding the framework of assertions for the renewal of contracts, the General Council of PEO notes that the social and economic inequalities that have been exacerbated and widened in recent years due to the economic crisis and the neo-liberal policies pursued by the government demand the assertion of a greater share of the wealth produced for working people.

In an effort to reduce inequalities and redistribute wealth fairly, PEO is fighting for a series of measures that will improve working people’s labour and social rights and lead to the restoration and widening of social policy.

Towards this end, the following are particularly noteworthy: - Implementation of the National Health Scheme as it has been unanimously approved.

- Discuss again the measure of reducing by 12% the pension for those who choose to retire at their 63th birthday.

- Promote actions that will lead to a resumption of the program to create a real reserve for the Social Insurance Fund.

- Reconstruction of the welfare state and widening of social policy.

- Improvements in the tax system.

Finally, as far as the Cyprus problem is concerned, the General Council reiterated that for PEO the solution of the Cyprus problem and the reunification of our country is an urgent need.

3

PEO bulletin PENSIONERS FESTIVAL

The 24th Pancyprian Festival of the Union of Cypriot Pensioners (EKYSY), which took place on Saturday, November 2018, was transformed into a strong reaction to the government’s vicious measures against pensioners.

The 1,000 pensioners who participated in the event once again highlighted the problems they are facing as result of the government’s policies and decisions that have led to their living standards being reduced by more than 30%.

The General Secretary of EKYSY, Kostas Skarparis referred to the well-known problems that have often been pointed out, but the government, he said, has closed his ears to pensioner’s demands and does not address them. “Pensioner’s standard of living has dropped to 30%”, he noted, adding that “our pensioner’s losses amount to around 100 million a year or about 500 million over the last five years.” Pensions and the income of elderly people in general have also suffered a further blow because the cost of living has risen from constant price increases, particularly in electricity and fuels, but also increases in many other essential items too.

EKYSY can’t accept this unacceptable behavior of the government. “We are struggling to regain and restore pensioner’s rights to the point where they were before the cuts were imposed,” concluded K. Skarparis.

The General Secretary of AKEL Andros Kyprianou, the General Secretary of PEO P. Kyritsis and the Head of the Pensioner’s Bureau of the Turkish Cypriot trade union DEV-IS Ali Goule attended and addressed the Festival. The Festival ended with a cultural program.

4

PEO bulletin SAFETY AND HEALTH OVER PROFITS! No more blood in the struggle for a living!

The Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO) held a Pancyprian Conference on Safety and Health issues at Work on 24 October.

More than 200 delegates, members of PEO local committees and health and safety committees took part in the Conference. Representatives of other trade unions and employers’ organizations, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour issues Committee and representatives of the Department of Labour Inspection of the Ministry of Labour also attended the Conference.

The purpose of the Conference is to document the problems and shortcomings in the implementation of the Health and Safety Law and to submit proposals that will lead to a change in the current prevailing negative situation. At the same time, the Conference will focus on the need to increase trade union militant’s attention and commitment to Safety and Health issues.

At the beginning of the Conference, a video on accidents at work was shown, which have increased dramatically lately. One minute’s silence was held in memory of the victims of accidents at work.

The Conference ended with the approval of a memorandum to be handed to the Minister of Labour.

5

PEO bulletin ENLARGED SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE TRADE UNIONS INTERNATIONAL OF CONSTRUCTION, WOOD, BUILDING MATERIALS AND INDUSTRIES 19-20 October at the PEO Camp in Pervolia, Larnaca On the 19-20 October the enlarged session of the Executive Committee of the Trade Unions International of Construction, Wood, Building Materials and Industries (UITBB) convened at the Recreation Camp of PEO in Larnaca.

The meeting was attended by around 20 delegates from various countries who discussed the situation in the Construction Industry and the problems of the workers in the sector. It reviewed the activities of the International, discussed its communication policy, as well as the action plan of activities for the period ahead with the most important task being the organization of the 17th Congress of the International.

The General Secretary of UITBB and GS of the PEO Construction Worker’s Union Michalis Papanikolaou was the keynote speaker who stated, inter alia, that “the period we are going through is still very difficult for the workers because the reactionary forces that serve the interests of big capital are attacking in an organized way working people’s gains by resolutely imposing its policies for the deregulation of labour relations, the dismantling of the welfare state, and the crushing of any form of resistance that workers can promote through class unions. It is here that the struggle of the class-based trade unions is highlighted as very important. Under the leadership of the WFTU, within the ranks of which UITBB operates and with its grassroots organizations in each country, there have been many class struggles waged on the various issues that concern workers in the industry, but also in general.”

The General Secretary of PEO, who is one of the Vice-presidents of WFTU Pambis Kyritsis, addressed the enlarged session on behalf of the World Federation of Trade Union.

6

PEO bulletin MEETING OF PEACE AND REUNIFICATIO ,SATURDAY 20 OCTOBER 2018 The Peace and Reunification Meeting, which took place on Saturday 20th October 2018 with the participation of trade unions, political parties, political figures and social organizations from both communities, after a discussion and collective reflection unanimously reached the following declaration addressed to all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites and Latins. The declaration will represent the framework for the development of joint actions and the active contribution and intervention of society, aiming at achieving a positive result in the procedures for the solution of the Cyprus problem underway.

• Peace is a universal good. The struggle of Cypriots for a solution of the Cyprus problem and the reunification of our common homeland enhances the struggle of the peoples of our region and of the whole world for peace, security, cooperation and social progress.

• For our country’s progressive people, the solution of the Cyprus problem remains an urgent need. No gain can be considered as permanent and stable so long as our homeland remains divided. We are firmly committed to the goal that included in both the High-Level Agreements between the two communities, as well as the UN resolutions for a bicommunal, bizonal federal solution with political equality as interpreted in the UN texts within the framework of a single sovereignty, a single citizenship and a single international personality, a bridge of peace and security for our entire region.

• Intercommunal talks are the only way for an honorable and mutually-acceptable agreement between the two communities, which is why we actively and in practice support the peace procedure for the solution of the Cyprus problem through serious and substantive negotiations. We are working together in both communities to create the best possible preconditions among Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in order to achieve the result we have always been struggling for.

• The procedure of the talks was unfortunately interrupted at Crans Montana, with the result that the Cyprus problem has been in a barren and very dangerous stagnation for many months. Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, are the ones most affected by the stalemate, given that so long as the Cyprus problem remains unresolved, it is our country that remains divided.

• The visit and contacts of Mrs. Jane Holl Lute in Cyprus, as the special envoy of the Secretary-General of the UN, the meetings at the UN headquarters and the UN Secretary-General’s recent report to the Security Council marks a last-ditch effort by the international community for a resumption of the negotiation procedure, aiming at the positive outcome and opening of the way for the solution of the Cyprus problem. It is our conviction that this effort must succeed this time for the sake of our common homeland. Otherwise, a possible total collapse of this process too will unquestionably bring partition closer and create very dangerous conditions for the people of Cyprus, for Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins.

• We consider the role of the leaders of the two communities as particularly important who are the negotiators as well. We have expectations and demands from the leaders. They must rise to the occasion and put the future of our common homeland above everything else. Clarity and steadfastness in the pursuit of the solution of Bi-zonal, Bi-communal Federation and a responsible creative approach are required so that the six-point framework put forth by the UN Secretary-General at Crans Montana is made use of. A positive and constructive stand on their part in the negotiations is needed, but also measures that prepare the people for the solution and reunification; measures that must highlight the benefits of the solution and remove any arguments of nationalists and traders of fear and insecurity.

7

PEO bulletin SOLIDARITY WITH THE FRENCH WORKERS A symbolic solidarity meeting took place this morning outside the French Embassy in Nicosia responding to the call for solidarity issued by the World Federation of Trade Unions WFTU. The meeting was held to express the militant solidarity of the Cypriot working people towards the strike mobilizations being organised by CGT and the trade union movement in France. The General Secretary of the classbased trade union federation of PEO and Vice-President of WFTU Pambis Kyritsis addressed the symbolic solidarity event. It is worth noting that leaders of Turkish Cypriot trade unions affiliated to the WFTU too also participated.

Inter alia, the GS of PEO pointed out that, “We are on the side of the French workers, with all working people across the EU and the whole world, in their struggles for better working and living conditions. We pledge that Cypriot working people will continue the struggle from their own arena to change things”.

He noted that in France as well as in Cyprus, but also throughout the EU, neoliberalism has increasingly prevailed, with the ever deeper crisis being burdened one-sidedly on to working people’s backs, with the continuous widening of social inequalities and poverty.

The symbolism of the mobilization, the GS of PEO added, “is not only to express our solidarity and support, but at the same time also to denounce the policies of the EU and to demonstrate that we here in Cyprus are also demanding and asserting policies to provide support to working people, that should lead to a growth that respects people, working people’s rights, collective agreements and social gains.”

The GS of PEO also made a reference to the 2019 State budget that is being discussed today in Parliament. It is clear that it is yet another budget of austerity, yet another budget tailored to the measures of the neo-liberal prescriptions being implemented by the government on the orders and in full coordination with EU policies.

P. Kyritsis also welcomed the presence of Turkish Cypriot leaders of the Turkish Cypriot trade unions, noting that neo-liberal policies affect both Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots in the same way. He also assured that the organizations that are members of the World Trade Union Federation will continue to work together, not only to improve working people’s condition, but also for the reunification of Cyprus within a bizonal, bicommunal federation “that will enable us to wage these common struggles even more strongly to change the conditions in our country. For a Cyprus that will be turned into a country of peace, security and prosperity for all its inhabitants.”

Pancyprian Federation Of Labour Archermou 29 1045 Nicosia Cyprus P.O. Box 21885 tel : 22866400 fax : 22866512 e - mail : info@peo.org.cy

www.peo.org.cy 8

8