Cyprus government services and airports came to a halt on Thursday as thousands of civil servants went on strike over austerity measures to reduce a bloated fiscal deficit. Thousands of civil servants backed by air traffic controllers are angry over parliament approving on Wednesday a two-year wage freeze in the public sector to avert an EU bailout.
Powerful civil service union Pasydy effectively shut down the government in a 12-hour stoppage beginning at 7:00 am (0500 GMT), while calling on members to boycott weekend municipal elections. Apart from government services, hospitals were also operating with reduced staff leading to the cancellation of many operations and other appointments, although schools remained open.
President Demetris Christofias had urged Pasydy to call off the strike to no avail. He said the government was determined to see Sunday's vote go ahead. Air traffic controllers unhappy with the austerity drive also launched a 12-hour strike from 9:00 am (0700 GMT) on Thursday at the Mediterranean island's two international airports at Larnaca and Paphos.
Airport authorities said the stoppage would affect some 5,000 passengers and disrupt around 79 flights. All flights will be affected except for VIP, state, military, hospital, humanitarian, search and rescue, and emergency flights or those facing technical problems. Employers, hotels and business groups condemned the air traffic strike, saying it would harm the key tourism industry. The wave of industrial action follows a three-hour stoppage in the wider public sector on Tuesday and a wildcat Pasydy strike on Wednesday.
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