Bus drivers in Larnaca on Tuesday evening rejected a proposal of new terms presented to them by the labour ministry, with their indefinite strike as such set to continue.

Drivers and other Cyprus Public Transport employees in Larnaca had gathered at the Larnaca office of trade union Sek, with the union, alongside fellow unions Peo and Deok, having earlier in the day held a meeting with the labour ministry’s industrial relations director Andis Apostolou.

The ministry had proposed that all Cyprus Public Transport employees in Larnaca be compensated any time, even a single minute, worked longer than the daily allotted amount of seven hours and 36 minutes per day, and that there be a hard limit of nine hours of work and one our of break per day.

In addition, it had proposed that any new work schedule be communicated to workers’ representatives for comments within 48 hours, and that those schedules respect the defined working times.

Those new schedules were to be sent by September 3, but with the proposal now having been rejected, the ministry’s next steps are as yet unclear, while the workers will continue their indefinite strike.

The main sticking point remains a stipulation in the workers’ collective labour agreement that they work no more than 38 hours per week – 7 hours and 36 minutes per day. This stipulation, they say, is not being respected.

Last Friday, trade union Segdamelin-Peo’s secretary-general Natia Kyritsi called on the labour ministry to tell Cyprus Public Transport to end “blatant violations” of that agreement.

“We believe that the labour ministry should draw the company’s attention to the blatant violations and call on it to comply with the agreements it has reached,” she said.

She also called on the transport ministry to “reflect on the company’s position”.

She said the unions “apologise to passengers and the public for the inconvenience they are experiencing”, and “at the same time, thank them for the support they have shown to the workers in the previous days and for their support in the coming period”.

Earlier, Cyprus Public Transport had expressed fury at the strike, describing it as an “unfounded action” which “impacts thousands of people daily, causing mobility challenges, especially as Larnaca enters the peak summer season”.

It then moved to defend itself, saying that it is “immensely proud of the transformation its drivers have experienced over the past five years” since the company took over the running of buses in Larnaca.

“Our employees are fully covered by the tachograph law, ensuring strict control over working hours, with a standard work week of 38 hours. Drivers receive continuous training, fostering professional growth and job satisfaction,” it said.

It added that bus drivers have seen an average salary increase of “more than 35 per cent” since Cyprus Public Transport took over buses in Larnaca in 2020, and that their annual gross salaries can reach up to €30,000.

This, it said, “places them among the top 40 per cent of workers in Cyprus”.

Meanwhile, the company’s chief executive officer Julio Tironi said he was “genuinely surprised by the recent claims from the unions” which led to the strike and added that the collective agreement struck in October last year was “proudly signed … following extensive discussions, many of which were held under the esteemed mediation of the labour ministry”.

“The terms of this agreement were highly costly for our company, and the union requirements were extensive. We worked tirelessly to ensure its terms were fair, forward-looking, fully accepted by all parties, and feasible to be implemented, embodying our belief in negotiation and collaboration,” he said.