Speech of Andros Kyprianou, General Secretary of AKEL, to the Congress of the PEO Construction Workers Trade Union
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 14th May 2016, Nicosia
On behalf of the Central Committee of AKEL, I extend a warm greeting to the militants and members of the Construction and Building Workers Trade Union of the Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO). It is a great honor for me to participate in the Congress of the backbone of the trade union movement, to be with those who have been at the forefront of all the struggles waged by the People’s Movement for the Cypriot working class to gain rights and dignity.
The construction workers have stood in the frontline of the struggles for social insurance, the eight-hour working day and dignified working conditions. They fought for workers’ gains without fearing the violent repression unleashed by the British colonial police or the vicious onslaught of strike-breakers. Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot construction workers have passed many days and sufferings in imprisonment. That is how they managed to make the title of being a construction worker a badge of honour. That’s how the title of member of AKEL became an honour.
Our Party is proud of the fact that its ranks are filled with the people of toil and labour, the people who won through their struggles great gains for our people, the great bastion of the People’s Movement of the Left – regardless of what the current DISY party Press Spokesman said scornfully just few years ago that “AKEL’s thoughts and concerns begin and end with the construction worker.” This was the starting point of DISY and its cadres during the previous five year term, stemming from class and social discrimination. From the attack on Demetris Christofias that he is “a son of a cleaner” and “AKEL’s thoughts and concerns begin and end with the construction worker” they began fermenting depreciation in Cypriot society so that they could impose their policies and weaken the People’s Movement of the Left so that that it could not put up any resistance. They did this so that it wouldn’t be able to protest now when the President of DISY accuses workers on 800 Euros that they are settled and comfortable; that they are destroying the economy. Weren’t they also saying back in 1948 to the building workers who were on that great strike that “you are undermining religion, the homeland and the economy” because they were fighting for their rights?
For them the interests of the country and the economy means workers working for peanuts and not protesting. Just the other day the President of ruling DISY party told us that «500 Euros is not a decent salary, but it is better than nothing.” We said the following during the Workers May Day events: The Government and DISY live in their own world, or else they would know that 500 Euros is not the bare minimum that a household can live on, nor can 500 Euros provide even the basics. If they were interested in ensuring a dignified wage for working people, they would find two words to say about the fact that profits of big business have reached their highest point in twenty years, while the value of salaries has fallen to the levels they were twenty years ago.
Today they talk about a “stable perspective”. Where have they seen this perspective? Have they been to see the state of hospitals? Have they seen the queues of patients’ multiplying and hospital staff leaving the profession day by day? Have they gone to the social food banks to see how many people are waiting in queues? Have they ever been to the refugee settlements? Have they met with the movement of the disabled persons, single parents, listened to those in need and to those who are tired of waiting for the crumbs of the so-called Guaranteed Minimum Income?
The policies imposed on our people are policies promoting destitution and poverty, namely austerity policies. They are policies in line with their own philosophy. They once said that they are being forced to proceed with privatizations because supposedly Christofias had agreed to them. They said that the Memorandum is the curse that Christofias had left them as a legacy. Today they openly say other things. They admit that privatizations for them are an ideological issue. They pride themselves that the Memorandum is their ideological manifesto and that even if our European “partners” hadn’t imposed the Memorandum on us, they would implement it.
Our people have had enough of lies, “pledges” and empty words. President Anastasiades and DISY party began the pre-election campaign with pledges on the Cyprus problem. Announcements were made about recruiting soldiers for the formation of a professional army and pledges about reducing the period of military service, as well as about a third licensing round for Natural Gas. Especially regarding the Cyprus problem, our people cannot afford a new fiasco like the S300 missiles fiasco -nor will it forgive this time. Especially with regards the Cyprus problem, the people expect to hear the truth. The main obstacle to our efforts is Turkish intransigence. How should we act towards this stand? If we abandon all that has been agreed, we very simply will be doing Turkey a favor to achieve its goal. Some circles and forces say that since we cannot agree with Turkey for many years on a federal solution we should be looking for another solution. But what is this “other solution” that Turkey would accept and how will it be in favor of our people and not against it?
Other circles and forces state clearly that we should demand a solution based on a unitary state. Is it possible today to turn back the time – to assert something similar or better than we had in the ’60s? Since then till now we have experienced the coup d’état, the Turkish invasion and continuing occupation of our country. Our people were betrayed by the Greek Junta, Grivas and EOKA B, which paved the way for Turkey to invade Cyprus. The occupation today is still dividing by force our homeland and people. The passage of time is against us. Our people, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, are threatened by the permanent threat of war and the colonization of the occupied areas. Without the reunification of our country through a just, functional and viable solution none of us can hope for a secure and prosperous future.
For AKEL the solution of the Cyprus problem is our foremost and unwavering goal. We will continue to serve this vision of the Cypriot people with faith, courage and consistency, without of course this meaning that we will agree on any solution. It is for this reason that AKEL must not be taken for granted by anyone. For us the solution of the Cyprus problem means ending the occupation and colonization. It means the restoration of the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of the Republic of Cyprus. It means a solution based on UN resolutions, the High-Level Agreements, International and European Law; a solution that will demilitarize Cyprus and exclude any guarantees and rights of intervention in the internal affairs of the country by foreign forces. It means a solution that will reunite the territory, the people, the institutions and the economy under a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as described in the UN texts.
I am sure that to achieve that this goal we can meet with people belonging to different political spectrums but who have the same anxiety as us about the future of the country. The same applies to socio-economic issues. We call on all these people who are politicized to walk with us in the effort. All of these people may not agree with our analysis of the economy and society, but see in our proposals their own aspirations of their own future too.
We are just one week away from the election. Unfortunately we hear quite a few people declaring that “it’s not worth going to vote”, “there is no way out, no hope.” It is with abstention that there will be no hope. By boycotting the elections there will be no way out. To put it simply, abstention is not going to change anything. Abstention is not going to reduce unemployment, nor will it raise wages. Abstention is not going to help the students who interrupt their studies. It will not ensure that education and health will not be completely demolished. Abstention is not going to prevent foreclosures and privatizations. It will not rid us of corruption and interwoven interests. Abstention is not going to restrict the arrogance and authoritarianism with which this government decides and issues orders like an “elected dictatorship” as the former Attorney General and former leading official of DISY Mr. Markides said.
If bills that will affect our lives, that will demolish all that has been achieved by previous generations, which will destroy any prospect for the future of young people were approved by a single vote, we can all understand how important it is each of us to go to the polls and vote for AKEL- Left- New Forces!
For every anti-social policy that is imposed the people anxiously ask us “what are you going to do about it?” This is no coincidence. We are the big Party that can fight and resist. We are not some chance party, which one person decides to establish in order to satisfy his/her ego and ambitions, nor are we a party that serves petty expediencies according to what is popular, or a Party which they can tame and control. We are the big force of the Left! And we need power from the people to be the power for the people!
On 22nd May 22 we have to decide. Either the Anastasiades- DISY government will be strengthened or the voice of resistance and assertion, the voice of AKEL-Left-New Forces will be strengthened.
On 22nd May our abstention, tolerance or vote may allow the Anastasiades-DISY Government to continue undisturbed in what they have been doing: to govern this country on behalf of a privileged few. Their policies are for the few and they have their interests at heart. They make laws for the few and violate laws for this select few. They care and protect the privileged few. For their sake, they are plunging Cypriot society into inequality.
To vote on 22nd May AKEL- Left-New Forces is to give strength to the force struggling for the majority of the people. They are the ones we fighting for and defending. They are the ones we are waging battles with in order to save the primary family home and public wealth, the ones we want public health and public education for. We are the force for the many and their interests; we are the resistance for their dignity.
For the common people we can and will make the difference!
