New Proposal for Bus Drivers in Larnaca After Meeting with Panayiotou

The strike by bus drivers of Larnaca Public Transport continues for the tenth day. A new General Assembly will be held today, following a meeting of the unions with the Minister of Labor, Yannis Panayiotou.

According to reports, a lengthy meeting took place yesterday at the office of the Minister of Labor with representatives of the unions PEO, SEK, and DEOK. Today, the striking drivers will hold a General Assembly at the SEK offices in Larnaca to approve or reject the proposal.

During yesterday's meeting, clarifications were given regarding observations on route cards and the functionality of route cards. The timelines for the co-assessment of breaks/routes by the Ministries are approaching the last ten days of the month.

The new proposal stipulates that drivers gain the one-hour break that was under dispute, and overtime beyond 7 hours and 36 minutes will be paid from the first minute. Also, the breaks that the company did not record will be noted.

The previous mediation proposal of the Ministry of Labor, which was rejected, concerned working hours and provided for compensation for employment beyond 7 hours and 36 minutes daily, with a working framework not exceeding 9 hours and a break time of up to 60 minutes.

Any new work schedule will be communicated to employee representatives within 48 working hours and will reflect working time and break time. The competent state services will co-assess the scheduling of breaks and submit improvement suggestions. On card 12, route 413, the break will be at Kofinou station.

The striking drivers are demanding the implementation of the 38-hour week as stated in the collective agreement.

(CYPE/SX/MK)