21.05.2023
The construction industry is very important for the development of our economy and for the cohesion of our society, and it has an important role to play in terms of the transition to green and digital technologies, stressed Minister of Labor and Social Insurance Giannis Panagiot in a greeting from the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulidis at the 28th General Assembly of the Federation of Construction Contractors Associations of Cyprus (OSEOK) at a hotel in Nicosia. The Minister of Labor also mentioned the relationship of the construction industry with the quality of everyday life of citizens and the security of public and private infrastructure.
Mr. Panagiotou stressed the importance of the construction industry for the transition to green and digital technologies, combined with the need for specialization and certification of workers, who, according to government policy, can form a strengthened core of the Cypriot economy. He also said that the Standard Vocational Qualification for Builder will be one of the eight Standard Vocational Qualifications to be promoted by the Ministry of Labor as part of the European Year of Skills.
“We believe that specialization and certification are necessary in order to have human resources with the characteristics we need,” he said. He also mentioned that the Action Plan, which will be presented to the Council of Ministers in the coming days, includes occupational safety and health training as a condition in the form of a safe pass to work in the construction industry.
Finally, the Minister of Labor mentioned the need to maintain labor peace through social dialogue in order to improve labor relations with a view to normalization and stability.
“In order to be able to create, develop and build, we must have smoothness and stability, and the labor peace that is provided through smooth labor relations,” he said and added that “during the previous weeks he had a pleasant experience of meeting with the seriousness and maturity of the social partners, both on the part of the employers and the trade unions, as we managed to reach an agreement on a complex issue that has been troubling us for some time.”
Mr. Panayiotou expressed confidence that even in case of unresolved issues that exist in the sector, “we will achieve what we have achieved in this country over time, to be able to discuss, to admit that we disagree, to understand the environment environment in which we find ourselves in order for us to finally be able to agree.
In addition, in a greeting read by the Deputy Director of the Department of Public Works, Eleni Kaskiri , Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Alexis Vafeadis stressed that the Ministry of Transport “continues and intensifies its efforts to fulfill budgets as fully and as soon as possible”, adding that “in this context, it uses and will use new modern methods of project implementation.” “Our priorities and our goals must include continuous development and adaptation to the new demands of our time, which is specialization and innovation, so that Cypriot contractors gain a competitive edge so that they can respond to the types of projects that are expected to appear in the coming years” The Minister of Transport referred to the need to attract investment and added that the necessary condition is the constant modernization of the business environment and the dynamic promotion of value-added activities for investors.
Also, Mr. Vatheadis emphasized that “the construction sector is one of the main pillars of the economic development of Cyprus, since its contribution to GDP is significant.” He also stated that the Ministry of Transport is constantly working to find ways to modernize the award and project implementation processes to facilitate contractors and business activity in the construction sector, in order to make Cypriot business innovative, competitive and open.
OSEOK President Stelios Gavriel said that in the 2023 forecasts, the construction sector continues the upward trend of 2022 and “this is due to the implementation of public and private investments, partly related to the European Recovery Fund resources, which account for more than 6.5%. GDP and employs over 40,000 people.” Mr. Gavriel referred to the current economic and geopolitical environment, the main feature of which is the uncertainty that the industry is called upon to respond to, and added that our response to increased costs and maintaining the prospects built in previous years should be aimed at advancing and development of the industry and the economy as a whole. He also stated, among other things, that the proposed bill regarding the purchase and construction of a first home “should be fair for all” and “not burden Cypriot citizens with an additional financial burden at such a critical time with a serious impact on their standard of living”.
Mr. Gabriel also mentioned the need for staffing the Contractors Registration and Control Board and emphasized that the highest priority for OSEOK is to achieve the concept of “zero accidents”, which is the goal of the Cypriot Occupational Safety and Health Strategy .
With regard to labor issues, the President of OEOC stated that the Federation expects a positive outcome of the new collective agreement without violating the basic principles, while he referred to the need to combat the phenomenon of illegal and undeclared work.
