Port strike called off pending dialogue (Updated)

The strike at Limassol port that has been ongoing since Wednesday over four layoffs was called off on Friday night after marathon shuttle talks with the union and employers.

The labour and transport ministries intervened to persuade port operators DP World to suspend the layoffs of the four employees pending discussions to begin on August 23.

Discussions went on all day on Friday in a bid to end the strike, which was called off after lengthy mediation by the permanent secretary of the ministry of transport, Stavros Michael, who was at the port from 9am to 4pm coordinating the dialogue between the company and the deputy director of the department of labor relations of the Ministry, Andis Apostolou.

It looked as if the company was going to dig its heels in because by early evening it had not given a response to the request to suspend the layoffs. After discussions, it appeared the company relented and agreed to the suspension pending dialogue.

Earlier, SEK district secretary, Giannis Tsouris said he was disappointed with the company’s attitude. “The company must stop obstructing the operation of the port. The strikers are exhausted. The goodwill they have shown has not been appreciated.”

By late evening, the unions were informed by the representatives of the two ministries about the decision to suspend the layoffs, saying they were satisfied with the development.

Employees have returned to work after the three-day strike. The two sides will now start a dialogue to resolve the remaining issues on August 23.

Unions expressed their gratitude to all those who contributed to the resolution of the dispute.

The latest strike was the second in the last two weeks. The first concerned issues related to their collective agreement. The strikers had accused the company of failing to observe the terms of the first collective agreement and proceeded to make changes without consulting the employees.

The strike has affected the operation of a number of general cargo ships of the multi-purpose port and cruise terminals. After days of negotiations the agreements were signed.

However, on Wednesday of this week, the company said it was laying off the four workers and the second strike began. Unions said the four were being laid off because they were heavily involved in organising the first strike.