EAC unions say their ‘requests are now demands’

Electricity authority unions are set to decide whether they will begin strikes, after 90 per cent of members appear to be backing the move, it emerged on Thursday.

Kyriakos Tafounas, general secretary for Epopai-Sek union told Sigma that unions were no longer talking about requests but demands. Meanwhile, a union source appears to have told Politis that based on the fact that 90 per cent of members back a strike, it will be the likely course of action.

A core demand includes opening up 370 job positions, including mechanics and network specialists. The finance ministry’s budget however has greenlighted 145 openings, which has irked the unions.

Renewable energy sources are also a source of contention, as unions demand that any interference by other state services should be scrapped so EAC can improve its energy offerings and reduce the cost of production.

Two weeks ago in a meeting with Energy Minister Natasa Pilides, unions said the Dhekelia power plant was being mishandled, demanding the outdated and cost-inefficient units must be upgraded. The representatives pushed for the modernisation of the plant to meet the latest standards and help alleviate the massive fines passed on to consumers due to the heavy pollutants of the plant.

Tafounas further criticised what he described as the EAC having been stripped of being the sole supervisor of electrical installations – saying the move weakens safety standards for consumers and staff.

The union complaints come as the industry is set for a significant shakeup – although the ever-elusive date for opening up the electricity market appears to have been pushed back to 2023.

Among other things, the necessary legal regulations have yet to be passed by parliament.

Originally, the market was due to have been opened up in July 2014; it was then put back to July 2016, then July 2019, then December 2020, and most recently October 2022.