AKEL delegation visits KEO and KEAN industries in Limassol

 

22 October 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

A delegation of AKEL, headed by its Parliamentary Representative Giorgos Loukaides, today visited the KEO and KEAN industries in Limassol. The AKEL delegation included the Limassol District Party Secretary, Giorgos T. Georgiou, AKEL MP Andros Kafkalias, the Organising Secretary of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, the Head of the AKEL Faction in the Limassol City Municipality, Michalis Sokratous and Pantelis Pantelides on behalf of the SEVETTYK trade union affiliated to the class-based federation of PEO.

After the meetings with the management and administration of the KEO and KEAN industries, the AKEL Parliamentary Representative made the following statements to the media:

“Today’s visits are aimed at expressing our support to the industry, which has gone through a difficult period due to the pandemic and is currently trying to return to normality.

We have discussed the problems and challenges facing the sector, such as the need for a modern and efficient state that serves society, citizens, households and businesses, rather than inconveniencing them.

We also discussed the issue of price increases, which are affecting industries too, with increases in the price of raw materials ranging from around 10-15%, and which at some point, if there is no reversal of these price hikes, will lead to costs being shifted on to consumers.

For that reason, the State must intervene. On this occasion too, I would like to reiterate besides AKEL’s proposal to reduce VAT on electricity to 9%, our proposals for policies and measures to be taken focusing and targeting the vulnerable groups of the population, in order to maintain demand and consumption at high levels, so that businesses and the local economy in general are not affected.

A third point, which is linked to price hikes and has been put forward by the industries themselves, is the increased fees noted at the Port of Limassol, at a time when the quality of services has not only not improved, but has in fact deteriorated. Unfortunately, what we had predicted and denounced as AKEL is being confirmed and yet another additional burden on the economy, businesses and consumers has been added, because of the Government’s policies for the privatisation of Limassol Port.

Finally, we have been told that despite the serious reduction in turnover that the industries have had for the years 2020 and 2021, they have not made any redundancies. And this is important, because we are talking about industries that support hundreds of families with the jobs they provide.”