DISY draft Bill for criminalization of strikes part of government’s attempt to denigrate working people’s struggles

Statement of Stefanos Stefanou, AKEL Political Bureau member

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 1st April 2016, Nicosia

 

The governing DISY party is again attempting, indeed with fast-track procedures, to impose its long-standing position for the criminalization of strikes. We reject and will continue fighting against this anti-worker and anti-people policy.

Strikes in essential services are regulated by an agreement reached between the social forces in 2004, which in fact was incorporated into the Code of industrial relations.

The DISY draft Bill for the criminalization of strikes is part of the government and ruling force’s more general continuous efforts and which have been stepped up lately to depreciate and denigrate working people’s struggles and frighten society. With the tabling of the draft Bill, DISY is trying through the criminalization of strikes in essential services to strip working people of their strongest weapon their disposal to defend their rights.

AKEL is against the criminalization of strikes which is why it rejects draft Bill promoted by DISY.