Employers hit back as Famagusta rubbish collectors strike continues

Employers of the rubbish collectors of six local authorities in the Famagusta district who have been in strike since Thursday have called the worker’s union to a dialogue, while warning they would dissolve this clustering of services and seek other ways of rubbish collection.

All 23 employees of the rubbish collection units of the Famagusta district cluster area, who went on an impromptu work stoppage on Thursday calling for implementation of their collective agreement, gathered outside the Sotira town hall since early in the morning as they continued their strike.

They work for the council of the cluster formed by the municipalities of Sotira and Dherynia and the communities of Avgorou, Frenaros, Vrysoulles, Liopetri and Aheritou. The workers said they would not return to their duties until their problems are resolved.

Their trade union, Peo, on Thursday accused the employers of not helping provide solutions to the problems faced by the workers for the past two years. Peo said the council of the cluster was reluctant to enter into dialogue with it, while it did not implement the collective agreement mainly with regard to the regulation of the workload. This, it said, creates serious problems concerning the accumulated number of overtime hours, the issue of working hours and the non-preparation of a weekly work schedule, refusal to apply compensation for those on standby, as well as the long delay in starting discussion for the renewal of the collective agreement.

The council, however, said on Friday it was the union’s representatives who have been refusing to enter direct negotiations with them, hence the delay in the renewal of the collective agreement.

“Since the end of 2019, the trade union in question raises issues for complaints / disputes or new requests, for which its representatives, although they have been repeatedly invited, they systematically and diligently avoid coming to discuss,” the council said in a statement,

It added that the strike measures announced on Thursday were in violation of labour norms and based on baseless claims.

Refuting the union’s claims about the accumulation of overtime work, the council said that according to the data for the year 2020, the average working hours and the average working days for the employees at the rubbish collection crews were 1,249 and 195, respectively, when the average for employees in similar positions and the same pay scale in the public sector is over 1,600 hours and 230 days.

The council said it was making a final attempt at conciliation and invited the representatives of the union to enter a direct dialogue on the demands they raise, providing evidence to substantiate them.

“Otherwise, the cluster will have no choice but to consider, in its next session, ways of managing the situation, not excluding the possibility of taking a decision for its dissolution, so that the local authorities can find cost-effective to meet the needs of the people who bear the costs,” it said.