“If we need to contribute in order to reach an agreement on the renewal of the pending collective agreements, we will manage to help in this too” said G. Panagiotou
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The readiness of the Ministry of Labor to contribute to reaching an agreement for the renewal of the collective agreements was expressed by the responsible Minister, Yannis Panagiotou, in his statements after the visit he made to the Eurogate Container Terminal in port of Limassol and the meeting in which he sat with the administrators of the port and the representatives of OEB, KEBE and the Association of Maritime Agents.
Mr. Panagiotou mentioned that the port of Limassol plays a vital role for the Cypriot economy, pointing out that the smoothness and stability of labor relations is necessary, so that this role is strengthened. The Ministry of Labor has the responsibility of safeguarding the normality and stability of labor relations, he noted, adding that “through visiting workplaces where human resources play a key role, we can form a more comprehensive picture, talking with both employers and and the employees, so that, whenever our own contribution is needed, it is done appropriately, in an informed and thorough manner”.
Responding to a question about the possibility of mediation by the Ministry of Labor with a view to renewing collective agreements, the Minister emphasized that the practice that exists in Cyprus in the context of social dialogue is determined by the provisions of the Industrial Relations Code, where disputes arising after attempts to reach an agreement between the two sides in the workplaces are submitted to the Ministry of Labour, which initially at the official level and then at the political level intervenes where necessary.
Already, added Mr. Panagiotou, “for many important differences in labor issues we have contributed to find solutions”. He also expressed his appreciation that “if we need to contribute in order to reach an agreement on the renewal of the pending collective agreements, we will be able to help in this as well”.
Answering when asked if the stakeholders see the issue of collective agreements the way he does, the Minister of Labor said that he has conveyed (S.S. to the stakeholders) the Government's political message, indicating that in an environment where the external conditions are fluid and external challenges are great, there needs to be absolute smoothness and stability inside.
“It is necessary for the issues that we within our country can discuss and agree among ourselves to succeed”, he noted, while expressing his optimism that “for all open issues we will manage through the maturity and seriousness that characterizes all sides and with our own contribution to find the solutions we need”.
