The goal remains the restoration of the Cost of Living Allowance and its extension to cover every worker

 

13 May 2023, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The agreement on the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) is a step forward, but it does not achieve our objective, which is to deliver it on the basis of its philosophy, namely its full restoration. The negotiations that will continue in the coming period will be crucial and AKEL will stand on the side of the working people’s trade union movement in the battle for the restoration of the COLA.

The Christodoulides government must prove that it will fulfill its proclamations. This means that from now on it must reject the employer association’s demands for the abolition of the COLA as a position that is outside the negotiating framework as defined by the transitional agreement.

At the same time, beyond the debate on COLA’s future for those who receive it, an even bigger challenge is to extend the COLA to every worker and employee in the country so that their wages are protected from inflation. This can be achieved, at least for low-wage earners, by amending the minimum wage decree to incorporate the COLA. Primarily, however, the COLA will cover the rest of the private sector workers through the extension of collective agreements, which is the strongest protective shield for working people. This battle, which must be intensified now, is the crucial one for the re-regulation of labour relations. This is where the government’s sincerity will be judged.