The labour ministry on Friday said that “intensive efforts” are continuing to attempt to resolve the ongoing dispute between workers and employers over the matter of the cost-of-living allowance (CoLA).

“Intensive efforts to form the necessary convergences continue and the continuation of the positive approach on the part of trade unions and employers’ organisations is expected,” it said.

The comments come after trade unions and employers’ organisations ended the day with differing accounts of how their meetings with Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou and Finance Minister Makis Keravnos went.

The unions were furious, accusing the employers’ organisations of attempting to “degenerate” CoLA, and promising to hold a meeting of all unions on Monday to “take measures”.

Peo secretary-general Sotiroula Charalambous said unions left the meetings disappointed by what had been conveyed to them as employers’ positions on the matter.

“Unfortunately, with what we heard today, we have gone backwards. It is obvious that we are at an impasse,” she said, before going on to stress that the unions’ position is that “we want [CoLA] to apply to all workers”.

Deok chairman Stelios Christodoulou described the employers’ proposal as “wrong”, while Sek secretary-general Andreas Matsas said their position “completely departs from the framework in which we could reach a true settlement”.

Employers, meanwhile, were largely satisfied, with Cyprus chamber of commerce and industry (Keve) chairman Stavros Stavrou saying that “the dialogue continues, and we want the conditions for a successful outcome of the dialogue to exist. We are available at any time to move forward”.

Meanwhile, employers’ and industrialists’ federation (Oev) chairman George Pantelides said employers are committed to continuing the dialogue.

“We want to maintain a good, positive climate, because our main goal is to find a solution to a time-consuming issue, if you like. Our concern remains the protection of the economy, the competitiveness of our businesses, and our suggestions and observations in this dialogue are in this direction,” he said.

As such, he said that he calls on “our colleagues in the trade union movement to come with an open mind to find these solutions which will help us move forward”.

He added to this end that employers “want to believe that there is room for both sides to discuss”.