Construction workers threaten strike action

CONSTRUCTION and ready mix concrete workers are set to hold a 24-hour token strike on February 14th as a first step in their response to “attacks on wages and benefits from a large number of employers”.

The unions accuse the Cyprus Federation of the Building Contractors Associations (OSEOK) of firing long-serving unionised builders and replacing them with cheap, non-unionised foreign labour.

Meanwhile, figures released by Eurostat earlier today showed that unemployment levels in Cyprus reached an unprecedented 9.3% at the end of last year and grew at a faster rate than all other countries in the EU27, with the exception of Greece.

The highest unemployment rate is among those under 25, where it has reached 25.8%; even highly educated young people cannot find employment.