The Anastasiades – DISY government’s “achievements”: 10 years of governance – 10 years of unfulfilled commitments – Article by Andreas Kafkalias, AKEL MP and C.C. member

 

 

29 December 2022, “Haravgi” newspaper

At a time when the dramatic decline in wages and deterioration in terms and conditions of employment, the undermining of collective agreements and cheap labour have become the rule crushing working people, the Anastasiades – DISY government rightfully earns the title of champion in the deregulation of labour relations.

The Minimum Wage Decree, which legitimises the deregulation of labour relations, erodes collective agreements and leaves out groups of workers, has far from met worker’s aspirations. This is a decree which institutionalises cheap labour, since it sets the minimum wage at EUR 885 or, after 6 months of work, at EUR 940. At a time when inflation is soaring and eating up 1/10 of working people’s income.

And all this at a time when the government will have collected unexpected revenues, by the end of the year, in excess of 1 billion from increased revenues and taxes. At a time when during the decade of the Anastasiades-DISY government, incomes of 7.5 billion were stolen from workers and given to profits to big capital. In truth, the references made by the Finance Minister, who, in an attempt to turn reality on its head, spoke of “government policies that have increased incomes, people’s purchasing power and prosperity of, above all, the poor” have provoked so much anger!

As regards the pension issue and the imposition of the 12% penalty on those who opt to retire at the age of 63, we have witnessed deception, denial and time-wasting by the government ruling forces. I highlight the Labour Minister’s reference to “the restoration of the distortion in pensions will take place at the age of 81” – when, in fact, life expectancy stands at 80.5 years for men and 84.5 for women!

In the end, this government neither wants, nor can it support society. It is deliberately dragging its feet in order to shorten the time it has left in power.

• It refuses to fully restore the Cost of Living Allowance and extend it to cover all working people.
• It denies unemployment benefit to those who are entitled to a pension, but do not choose to retire at the age of 63.
• It removes the right to an invalidity pension for people who are unable to work if they have not worked for the last 2 years and have not made the required insurance contributions.
• It does not make payment to a Provident Fund compulsory where and when it operates.
• It has imposed the abolition of the Sunday holiday on thousands of workers in the retail sector, dealing a severe blow to hundreds of small and medium-sized enterprises.
• It has failed to provide solutions to the huge delays observed in the provision of benefits by the Social Insurance Fund.
• It has not addressed important issues such as the regulation of teleworking and paid internships for young people.
• The Labour Inspection Department is understaffed, with the result that it is unable to carry out its supervisory role.
• The full implementation of the UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities remains a challenge instead of a reality.
• It has not implemented anything substantive for 10 years to modernise Social Welfare Services, while it has cut the Guaranteed Minimum Income budget by €15 million.

It is obvious that our country needs a new social policy, a fairer distribution of the wealth being generated, work with dignified wages and rights and an adequate safety net for the vulnerable groups of the population.