Construction strike called off

Construction workers and employers reached a preliminary deal on Friday to prevent the threatened 48-hour strike on June 27-28 and renew the collective agreement.

Construction workers went on strike last Tuesday as a deal had not been struck.

The collective agreement has been renewed every two years since 1954.

The agreement on Friday was reached after a lengthy meeting between the Construction Workers’ Unions and the Employers’ Union with the new Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Antonis Vassiliou.

The deal provides for the signing of the collective agreement and the discussion of the problems of the construction sector, such as the expanding of subcontracting, for future discussion.

Last week the Employers’ Federation OEV accused the unions of not even being prepared to discuss the issue of using subcontractors for a wider range of jobs in the construction sector.

On Friday both the two Constructors Workers Unions and Employers Union expressed satisfaction over the deal, noting that problems between the two parties remain to be discussed on a later stage.