SOLIDARITY WITH STRIKING WORKERS AGAINST PRIVATISATIONS

 

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson George Loucaides

 

As AKEL, we express our support and solidarity with the workers in the Semi-state organizations, who through their strike actions are sending out a strong message of resistance to prevent the selling-off and handing over of these organisations to domestic and big foreign private interests.

 

The government with its mixture of contradictory statements, sometimes fanatically defends the long-standing policy of the governing Democratic Rally DISY party in favour of privatizations, at times presents itself supposedly ready to discuss alternatives and sometimes invokes the Troika, attempting to distort the provision that existed in the in principle agreement on the Memorandum.

 

In practice, from the first moment since assuming power up to this very moment that it is proceeding to the approval of the plan of privatizations, the government unilaterally and without any prior social and political dialogue is gradually implementing the selling off of public wealth to private interests.

 

AKEL warns once again that the consequences from the privatisation of the Semi-state organisations will be extremely negative for the Cyprus economy and society.

 

The distortion that will be created by the existence of private monopolies, oligopolies and cartels will lead to significant increases in charges and a corresponding reduction in the quality of service provided.

 

Consequently, it is citizens as a whole who will once again be called on to pay the cost of privatizations, to the benefit always of the speculative mania of the foreign multinational companies or domestic private interests which are anxious to get their hands on the public wealth for the price of next to nothing.

 

The negative consequences will also encompass the significant loss of hundreds of millions of Euros in revenues for the state and society, pose risks to national security, the loss of a vital tool for development in the hands of the State, as well as sackings, dismissals and brutal cuts in wages and rights for those working people who will retain their jobs.

 

People can and must react to the government policies of austerity, cuts and privatizations, by defending their rights from the looting that is being imposed to the benefit of large private interests.