The first Pancyprian collective agreement between the Nicosia district self-governance organisation (EOA) and the two biggest trade unions, Sek and Peo, was signed on Friday.

Following the signing, President of the Nicosia EOA, Constantinos Yorkadjis said “a spirit of optimism is being created for the future.”

“The priority was to ensure the rights of these workers and, of course, to define their duties and responsibilities with which they are called upon to implement this great change,” he added.

The Secretary General of OHO-Sek Andreas Elias said: “Today we are further promoting the implementation of the reforms.”

He said the conclusion of the agreement was achieved in such a way that it was being applied islandwide to all EOAs.

“Today we are in Nicosia, in the next few days we will go to the other districts,” he said, adding that the employees had fully supported the implementation of reforms.

However, he did stress how important it was for the employees in other districts to have clear terms of employment in an objective manner.

“It is everyone’s legal obligation to inform employees correctly and in a documented manner. We did this through the collective agreement,” he said

The general-secretary of Sidikek-Peo, Nicos Gregoriou, said the agreement signed was of particular importance because it was the first such one signed under the new conditions.

“We hope and want all districts to sign the same agreement.”

“This is the guarantee on which the smooth functioning of the reforms, which is the objective of all of us, will be based.”