Yesterday’s mass May Day marches were a response to Nikos Christodoulides’ declarations

 

For workers’ rights – For the dignity of society

2 May 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, declared yesterday his government’s commitment to supporting working people and pensioners on the occasion of Worker’s Day. He spoke, among other things, about raising the minimum wage and workers’ pay in general, as well as cumulative increases in pensions.

However, Mr. Christodoulides did not comment on the figures released by Eurostat on Thursday, according to which 167,000 of our compatriots were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025. In fact, this percentage has remained unchanged since 2024, while the number of people affected has increased by 3,000.

Mr. Christodoulides did not clarify that the minimum wage in Cyprus barely reaches 55% of the median, while the European Union’s target is for it to be at least 60%.

Mr. Christodoulides did not explain the significant delay in Cyprus’s ratification of the European directive requiring that at least 80% of workers be covered by collective agreements. The directive, which was supposed to be integrated into national law by 15 November 2024, is one of the most important tools in countering policies that deregulate work and undermine worker protection.

Thousands of working  people of all ages responded to the call issued by the Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO) and took to the streets in mass numbers yesterday in every city and community across the country with messages and demands for working people’s rights and the dignity of society.

Amid pressing social conditions, this year’s May Day was marked by the resounding message sent by the working class, namely that the country does not belong to the banks and the top 1% of Cyprus’s wealthiest, who exploit the nation’s wealth and benefit in every way from the policies of the government and the parties of the establishment. That the hundreds of thousands of workers who are the driving force of Cyprus’s economy every day are entitled to dignified wages, guaranteed basic rights, collective bargaining agreements, safety at the workplace, and humane working hours. That the country’s society urgently needs a drastic and fair redistribution of wealth in favour of the middle strata, households, and the vulnerable groups of the population.

AKEL assures, with the guarantee of a century-long history of waging struggles, that it will continue to defend working people’s rights and dignity even more vigorously and resolutely.