Workers at the ‘Anytime by Interamerican’ insurance company in Nicosia went on an indefinite strike on Thursday over the alleged illegal dismissal of a colleague.
The strikers say that the employee – who worked as a call-centre trainer and was a Pasey-Peo steward – was fired because of her syndicalist actions, and argue that the dismissal is illegal.
The strike was called after the “vindictive dismissal” of the union’s representative, Pasey-Peo Secretary General Savvas Touloupos told the Cyprus News Agency.
The walk-out started on Thursday afternoon and continued on Friday, outside the company’s office in Nicosia.
It is supported by Peo and the Cyprus branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW Cyprus), in which the dismissed worker is a member.
“The grounds for dismissal cited by the company range from blatant lies to actions that fall within the constitutional and legal rights of every employee to unionise,” IWW Cyprus said in a post on Facebook.
“This is the third dismissal in a row in the last year, and the second of a member of the union,” IWW notes.
“The real reason for the dismissal is the fact that for more than a year now the call centre has been in the process of collective organisation, with the majority of the workers signing up a few months ago to the Pancyprian Trade Union of Employees in the Services of the Pancyprian Federation of Labour (Pasey-Peo). The actions of the workers, including their participation in the general strike for CoLA, has forced the company to recognise their union and come to the negotiating table for a collective agreement,” the organisation adds.
Peo has filed a complaint with the Labour Relations Department of the Ministry of Labour.
According to IWW Cyprus, a scheduled meeting by the Labour Relations Department on Friday between the union and the company did not take place, as the company did not attend.
The strike will continue on Monday at 9:30 am.