Trade unions will hold a major pan-union conference on Monday, January 27, as tensions rise over foreign worker policies and collective bargaining rights.
The morning meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. at the PEO union headquarters, will address major labour issues facing social partners in 2025, including foreign workers’ employment strategy, cost of living allowance (COLA), collective agreements, pension reform, and taxation.
The unions are particularly concerned about the Labour Ministry’s potential move to update its third-country workers employment strategy this week, a proposal they strongly oppose.
The unions’ response at the conference may depend on whether the ministry presents this proposal to the Council of Ministers.
Trade unions have identified what they call inconsistencies between government declarations and ministry policies, particularly regarding collective agreements, social dialogue, and worker accommodation deductions.
They argue the ministry’s proposal to increase accommodation deductions to 25 percent could lead to disguised wage cuts.
In a parallel development, public sector unions, including PASYDY, OELMEK, POED, OLTEK, and associations representing police, fire service, and military personnel, agreed yesterday to form a united front on COLA and tax reform issues.
The public sector unions also expressed strong opposition to parliament’s unilateral abolition of supplementary healthcare benefits for active and retired civil servants not covered by the national health system (GHS), demanding immediate government action to restore these rights.
The outcome of next week’s conference could signal potential labour tensions, with unions preparing to send “necessary messages in all directions”, according to conference organisers.
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