“EQUITY” expresses concern about IMF recommendations for the state salary
The intense concern< /strong> and her opposition to the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the state payroll, as they were presented to the press, expresses in today's announcement the Pancypriot Syntechnia “EQUITY” noting that “the commission by the government of such a study to the IMF, known for its neoliberal and deregulatory policies, raises reasonable questions about its real intentions”.< /p>
As mentioned, the government's appeal to the IMF for issues concerning the state payroll causes questions and problems, at a time when particularly positive performances are recorded in public finances, noting that “the these elements strongly question the necessity and expediency of any interventions in the state payroll in the light of budgetary constraints”.
It is clear, the announcement continues, that the IMF's recommendations move in the direction of abolishing acquired rights of employees, such as the Automatic Price Index Adjustment (ATA), the granting of increments every two years (instead of every year) and the general deregulation of labor relations.
“The government must clarify its position. The modernization of the state payroll cannot mean a loss of acquired rights”, it is noted and it is added that “public sector workers have already suffered very painful measures in the period 2011-2017, such as freezing of increments, reductions in salaries and allowances. ATA was frozen and has since been given limp. Further measures would be extremely unfair“.
It is emphasized that the claims about an allegedly inflated state payroll are baseless and misleading.
It is noted that the financial crisis that hit Cyprus was banking and not fiscal, “as confirmed by international analysts”. The public sector was not the cause and cannot be made the scapegoat, it states.
The union calls on the government to reject proposals that lead to the degradation of workers, adding that “instead of cuts, to strengthen the purchasing power force with a minimum decent hourly wage and full ATA for all”.
“We are determined to resist any attempt to devalue workers. Respect for labor rights is non-negotiable”, concludes the statement.
