Roundup: Employees of British Bases in Cyprus declare week-long strike

Employees of the British Bases in Cyprus declared a five-day strike on Monday in protest against what they said was a unilateral decision of the administration to cut their salaries and abolish benefits.

Britain retained two sovereign bases when it granted independence to Cyprus in 1960.

The strikers' unions said about 650 Greek and Turkish Cypriots employed by the civilian administration of the Bases stopped work after the authorities of the Bases abolished their contracts on Sept. 1, asking them to sign new ones.

Civilian employees help in running the civilian administration of the Bases, which includes everyday dealings with residents of villages within their boundaries, taking care of public utilities and arranging local supplies for the bases.

But it is not clear whether the strike will in any way affect military activities, which currently mainly consist of sorties by Tornado fighter-bombers against Islamic State targets in Iraq.

Employees gathered in the morning outside the main entrance to the Akrotiri Air Force Base, near the southern port city of Limassol, stopping all movements in and out of the base for some time.

A union leader said the cuts will affect only local staff but British employees will remain unaffected and will continue to receive salary increments.

"The cuts will radically affect the standard of living of about one thousand families who have programmed their lives on their current benefits," said Christos Tziapouras who heads a coordination committee of the strikers.

He urged Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to raise the issue with British Prime Minister David Gordon when they meet in London next week.

Bases spokesman Sean Tally told reporters that the salary cuts became necessary after the British government cut the Bases budget by 3.7 million pounds sterling (5.66 million U.S. dollars).

He said there is an amount of 1.3 million pounds which must be saved out of the salaries of the civilian staff.

"This sum is not negotiable, but the administration of the bases is willing to negotiate the ways to save it," he said.

Striking employees said they will take their strike struggle from the Bases to the British diplomatic mission in Nicosia where they will hand a petition to the British High Commissioner (ambassador) on Thursday.

The striking employees of the British Bases said they will settle for no less than the full withdrawal of the cuts.

The Bases administration said incomes below 1,500 euros per month will not be affected by the cuts. Employees with a salary above that will face staggered cuts with people currently paid 3,000 euros a month losing 6.5 percent, or 195 euros a month.

But a union official said employees stand to lose between 40,000 euros and 70,000 euros each in lost benefits as their provident fund paid to them at retirement is calculated on the basis of their last salary. Endit