A work stoppage announced last week by trade unions of the Paphos district administration (Eoa), is an unnecessary and unconstructive move, its president Charalambos Pittokopitis said on Wednesday.

The work stoppage had been planned for Thursday from 10am to 12pm, by branches of the two largest workers’ unions Peo and Sek over the refusal of the Paphos Eoa to sign a collective a agreement.

The unions said the district government’s refusal to sign such an agreement affected employees’ rights and disrupted labour relations within the administrative body.

Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia Eoa’s had all already signed and implemented their agreements but, despite ongoing efforts, the Paphos administration had kept up a negative approach, the unions said.

The decision was thus a protest over the failure of the newly established organisation to regulate the rights and obligations of its employees, they added.

Pittokopitis, for his part, said the announced work stoppage by his district employees was “rushed and unnecessary”.

The Eoa board of directors was not opposed to the signing of a collective agreement per ce, Pittokopitis said, but had requested clarifications on their content.

He regretted the fact that the unions had “rushed” to announce the work stoppage while negotiations were still ongoing, he said.

The call to action was “out of place and time” and did not contribute to establishing a climate for talks to move forward, he said.

Pittokopitis assured employees that their working conditions would not be any less favourable [than other districts] but added that each Eoa had its own particularities and a such “the general provisions of the contracts could not apply.”

A time had been set for the next meeting to take place within the following days, he said.