Employers and the state are responsible for the frightening increase in accidents at work
Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos StefanoU
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 24th July 2020, Nicosia
The two new fatal accidents at work on construction sites have been added to the long list of human lives lost in the struggle to earn a living in recent years in Cyprus. Employers and the state are responsible for the frightening increase in the number of accidents at work and for the fact that more and more workers are losing their lives in the fight to earn a living.
The main cause of accidents at work is the fact that in seeking to reduce costs and maximise their profits, employers refuse or fail to comply with their obligations on safety and health at work. They are forcing workers, especially at the workplace where there is exploitation of cheap labour without trade union organization and collective agreements, to work in the heat, in dangerous conditions and beyond an eight hour working day. Furthermore, workers are not being provided with the means or required training in safety and health issues at work.
Accidents at work will not be reduced if the state does not strictly enforce the law with continuous, adequate and effective controls on every construction site, factory and every other workplace. The trade union movement has repeatedly submitted concrete proposals to really confront this scourge.
What has the Ministry of Labor done so far?
How will the necessary checks be made when the Labor Inspection Department is understaffed?
How much blood of workers must be shed at work in order for some employers to put human lives over and above their profits and for the state and the government to take action?
