The Union of Cyprus Journalists (ESK) on Tuesday called for both members and non-members to participate in the three-hour work stoppage as part of Thursday’s general strike, calling it a “crucial and essential mobilisation.”

“ESK calls on all journalists to refrain from any journalistic work during the three-hour work stoppage, with the sole exception of covering the mobilisation itself,” the union said.

ESK said that the payment of the cost-of-living allowance (CoLA), the topic which had led unions to call for the general strike, was “a unique tool for restoring the purchasing value of workers’ salaries.”

Echoing calls of unions SEK, PEO, Pasydy and Deok, ESK called for both a full return to 100 per cent of CoLa and its expansion to all workers, emphasising its particular importance “in the face of ever-increasing uncertainty and inflationary pressures.”

The union urged colleagues working in online, radio or television newsrooms to limit their output during the stoppage to strike coverage and invited the rest to join Thursday’s rallies.

It also warned against efforts to “modify or undermine” CoLA in the name of modernisation, saying such moves were a step toward its abolition. “The trade union movement will categorically oppose any such attempts,” ESK stressed.