Larnaca bus strike escalates as workers march in Nicosia
As the bus strike in Larnaca remained indefinite, workers on Monday reaffirmed their decision to take measures, saying measures would be stepped up.
Unions say Cyprus Public Transport Larnaca has shown “blatant violations” of an agreement signed for a 38-hour workweek.
“The labour ministry must call the company to order and ensure it respects the agreement it signed,” Segdamelin-Peo’s secretary-general Nadia Kyritsi told the Cyprus Mail.
The ministry has already declared the company in breach of the agreement through its labour relations department.
“We apologise once again for the inconvenience caused,” Kyritsi said, “but we thank passengers for the support they’ve shown so far and ask for continued solidarity in the coming days.”
At a general assembly on Monday, it was decided that striking workers will travel from Larnaca to Nicosia on Tuesday to gather outside the company’s offices in Solomou Square before marching to the labour ministry to demand enforcement of the collective agreement.
The unions called on the bus company to honour its commitments. “We urge the company once again to respect the labour ministry’s findings, and to fully implement the collective agreement it signed,” the unions said in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Cyprus Public Transport maintains that it is complying with all legal and contractual obligations.
The strike, which began last Wednesday as a 48-hour work stoppage, was extended indefinitely after workers said no progress had been made.
In previous comments, Kyritsi urged both the labour and transport ministries to intervene, stating that the company’s refusal to adhere to the agreement undermines labour rights.
Despite expressing regret over the disruption, Cyprus Public Transport has repeatedly described the strike as “unfounded”, warning that it affects thousands of commuters daily during the height of the summer season.
Describing the strike as “unfounded”, the company warned that it impacts “thousands of people daily”, particularly during Larnaca’s busy summer season.
It also highlighted that since assuming operations in 2020, drivers’ salaries have increased by more than 35 per cent, with gross annual pay now reaching up to €30,000, reportedly placing them among the top 40 per cent of earners in Cyprus.