AKEL in favour of the Electricity Authority’s institutional modernisation that stands out across Europe for providing the fastest internet

 

Statements by the General Secretary of AKEL S.Stefanou

CYTA’s work proves that it rightly remains a public organisation

28 November 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

“The Cyprus Electricity Authority (CYTA) itself with the work it does proves that CYTA rightly remains a public organisation in a strategically important sector for our country and that AKEL has been vindicated when it led the struggles to prevent the privatisation of this semi-governmental organisation”.

This was underlined by the General Secretary of AKEL in his statements following meetings he had today heading an AKEL delegation, with both the trade unions, the Board of Directors and management of CYTA. As Stefanos Stefanou noted, “Our visit to CYTA coincides with a very important development for CYTA itself and Cyprus too. Namely that for the second consecutive year, CYTA has won – among European giants – the recognition as the Authority that provides the fastest internet, whilst demonstrating on the one hand, the work done in the Authority and on the other hand, the CYTA’s importance for ensuring technological upgrading in the country, for the economy and society at large”.

The General Secretary of AKEL recalled that “AKEL has always supported semi-public organisations and CYTA, playing the leading role in the efforts to prevent CYTA from being privatised with the two bills that had seen sent [for that purpose] by the Anastasiades-DISY government. In the end, CYTA itself, with the work it is doing, proves that we did the right thing and that it is imperative CYTA remains a public organisation in a strategically important sector for our country and society”.

The General Secretary of AKEL also pointed out that together with the main protagonists in CYTA – both with the workers and the Board of Directors and the management – they also discussed issues concerning the Organization’s perspective. “AKEL,” he stressed, “is in favour of the institutional modernisation of CYTA by maintaining its public character and through this modernisation to enable CYTA to be more flexible, to adapt more quickly to the very dynamic developments that exist in the field of telecommunications and new technologies. AKEL will continue to support the work CYTA is carrying out to the benefit of the country”.

Replying to a question, Stefanos Stefanou noted that trade unions and workers are now discussing issues related to CYTA’s institutional modernisation, part of which concerns labour issues.  “It is very important that working people always have a proper working environment, with wages that can attract young minds in a very dynamic sector such as telecommunications, that there is the necessary job security and of course the evaluation – in this area concrete steps have been taken – so that there is also meritocracy,” he concluded.

The AKEL delegation included AKEL MP and member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee Christos Christofides and the member of the AKEL Economic Policy Bureau Vakis Charalambous.