CNV

Brussels, 11 July 2011 - The World Organization of Workers – WOW expresses its sincere solidarity and sympathy with all who lost loved ones as an effect of the tremendous explosion at the arms depot on the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base. It is tragic to hear that a total of thirteen people have been killed by the blast. Our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives.

The impact of the explosion at the Naval Base was the consequential destruction of the Vassilikou power station in Cyprus. Ever since it was destroyed all of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) workforce has been trying to keep the damage done within limits. The Vassilikou power station is responsible for approximately 50 – 60 % of the electricity production in Cyprus. Though the employees of the EAC are doing all the can, and other electricity plants are trying their utmost to cover lost production, it will take years before all the damage is repaired and the plant in Vassilikou can run on the same required level again.

The exact effects of the explosion and consequential damage to the power station are still to be seen. But it is clear that it will have effects on national level. And that at a moment when the country was already in difficulty due to the global financial crisis. It is with great astonishment to the World Organization of Workers – WOW to hear that the Government of Cyprus has added the impact of the explosion to the package of financial measures to tackle the crisis.

The Pancyprian Federation of Independent Trade Unions – POAS, which is a member-organization of the World Organization of Workers – WOW, has expressed great concern that the Government of Cyprus is planning severe reductions in salaries and benefits of public and semi-public sector employees. In our opinion there should be a greater solidarity now that Cyprus is faced not with one, but with two mayor crises.

WOW believes people should work together and cooperate more in order to tackle the crisis. A special role in that sense is for the Government. They should create stability on the (labour-) market. In, for example, The Netherlands the Government created a special fund for those employees who are (temporarily or partly) dismissed by the employer to assure that they have an income. Some workers have been temporarily dismissed or work half of their contractual hours. This to ascertain that when the economy recovers they can be hired full-time again and thus preventing they are lost for the company.

This is an expensive measure, but cheaper than having all this people knocking on the door of the unemployment-fund. It should be stimulated to keep as much people as possible involved on the labour-market. Because when times are better they will be needed.

We can see these kinds of measures in more European Union countries. Though many countries have difficulties as an effect of the crisis they are trying their utmost to keep the people involved and active. There is of course a financial incentive for this, but it is also born out of solidarity with those who need it the most. We are not alone in this world.

It is therefore that the World Organization of Workers – WOW wants to express solidarity with all workers who may be effected by the measures of the Government of Cyprus. We will sharply follow the developments in Cyprus to reassure that both our colleagues from the Electricity Authority of Cyprus, from POAS, as well as others will not be the only ones who bear the costs of the current crisis.