Effort are ongoing by the ministry of labour on Friday to bridge the gap between the concrete workers’ and their employers demands, as entering into a third week of strikes looms.
Negotiations continued at the ministry until midnight and are set to restart at 10am, CyBC reported while the construction industry has ground to a halt with clients waiting for concrete deliveries.
“Ongoing efforts are underway to restore order to the sector and all possibilities will be used to reach an agreement,” the labour ministry announced.
Employers, led by concrete manufacturers’ association head Costas Kythreotis, had as recently as Tuesday refused to participate in meetings with Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou and outright rejected the negotiation framework, while the unions took issue with the minister’s statements, accusing him of misrepresenting the situation to their detriment.
However, it now appears employers have retreated from this stance, with Panayiotou saying both sides are willing to renegotiate based on the framework he devised, and describing this as a “positive development”.
Acceptance of the framework by both sides “signals the existence of common ground” he said, as the outcomes of Friday’s meeting are awaited with stakeholders warning of huge impacts to the economy.
