The recent elections in several European countries that resulted in gains for extreme-right parties and even brought them into government were discussed at the constituency of the Mediterranean unions.
The KTAMS civil service union is taking widespread industrial action (excluding hospitals) over the government's failure to ensure safety in workplaces in response to the continuing threat of the COVID-19 virus. The union action began on 10 September but continued as the government didn't respond to the union's demands.
Public service union PASYDY is to pursue a legal case on pay and pensions cuts during austerity to the European Court of Human Rights. The union has expressed disappointment with a ruling of the country's Supreme Court that the government was within its powers to cut pay and pensions in the period 2011-13 as part of austerity measures following the financial and economic crisis. PASYDY also raises questions about the conduct of the case which has dragged on for nearly eight years and the fact that the judgement appears to be in conflict with other rulings in relation to judges and pensioners.
On 28 March 2019 EPSU participated, together with its representatives of the two national affiliates from Romania, Sanitas, and Croatia, HSSMS-MT, in the kick-off meeting of the joint HOSPEEM-EPSU project focusing on strengthening social dialogue in the hospital sector that will run in 2019 and 2020.
On 9 October the KTAMS civil service union organised a day of strike action in all workplaces in which it organises in protest at the sharply falling purchasing power of workers' pay. A steep decline in the Turkish Lira has led to much higher inflation, leaving the minimum wage effectively below the poverty level. The union wants to see legislation that will ensure the increasing cost of living is reflected in workers' pay on a monthly basis. During the day's strike action, KTAMS is organising a march to the parliament to present its proposals.
Unions organising local government, semi-public sector and contract workers called off a planned 3-hour strike following confirmation by the government that it would honour an agreement signed in January this year. The agreement included a commitment to a pay rise/recuperation of some of the pay cuts imposed since 2012 once the economy was growing again. The unions planned the strike when the government initially refused to discuss a pay rise despite positive economic developments.
The Cyprus Turkish Civil Cervants Trade Union (KTAMS) held a one–hour token strike on 17 July in protest at unfair employment practices at the Central Bank of North Cyprus. The union argued that the Bank had taken on employees and assigned some as managers without following the proper procedures, particularly in regard to equal opportunities.
(April 2017) The KTAMS civil service union in Cyprus organised strike action in the Turkish News Agency at the end of March over the denial of promotion to certain Agency employees. This is an issue that the union has taken up with the government which has prevented the Agency management from carrying out the promotions.
Efforts to privatize utilities and health institutions, the outsourcing of services, overcrowded prisons, and the constant pressure on the unions from unfriendly governments were some of the themes discussed by the board of the Cyprus Turkish Civil Servants Trade union KTAMS with the EPSU General Secretary.
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(March 2017) The ETUC is calling for a pay rise for workers across Europe and in the latest initiative in its campaign reveals that wages are lower now than they were eight years ago in seven EU member states while in 18 EU countries wages have grown much slower over the seven years after the crisis than in the eight years before that.In the 7 years 2009-2016 real wages (adjusted for inflation) have fallen every year by an average of 3.1 % in Greece; 1 % in Croatia; 0.9 % in Hungary; 0.7 % in Portugal; 0.6 % in Cyprus; 0.4 % in UK, and 0.3 % in Italy.
Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot workers, members of FP SEK and TOURKSEN, took joint action earlier this month against British Government plans to slash wages of workers at the Sovereign British Base areas in Cyprus. All civilian workers in Limassol (Episkopi and Akrotiri) and in Larnaca (Dekelia) took five days of action from 7-11 September. The strike was decided after a deadlock in the negotiations between the two sides and after the employers side announced that cuts in wages will be applied by the end of September 2015, ignoring the advice of the Ministry of Labour of Cyprus not to make
Public service union PASYDY, will take strike action on 19 September in protest at statements from the Minister of Finance about the possibility of further cuts in pay and pensions. The union argues that public sector workers have already seen their pay and pensions cut and that the government should direct its attention at those who caused the crisis. In the meantime the SEK trade union has decided not to take part in the strike following a meeting with the Ministry of Finance where the union was told there were no plans to cut the pay of hourly-paid workers and that any changes would be
EPSU letter of support to PASYDYEPSU has written to the Minister of Finance to protest about the government's decision to make drastic cuts to nurses' pay and conditions without any preceding dialogue with trade unions and employers’ organisations. The measures include a 15% reduction to all shift benefits of nursing personnel for night shifts and 35% for Sundays and public holidays, as of 1 January 2013. In addition, on 26 September 2013 the government proposed a law which, if voted, would abolish all benefits for evening shifts and it would also entail a further reduction, beyond the initial
