If all else fails and the three-hour COLA work stoppage goes ahead tomorrow as scheduled, all necessary measures have been taken and schedules reprogrammed at essential public infrastructures to deal with the effects, including schools, hospitals and airports.
Banks will not be taking part in the strike action and will open as normal, according to a bank union employees statement.
Schools
The Education Ministry’s competent services have already advised parents or guardians to pick up their children from school at around 11, while pupils using the bus services, will not have a way back as bus will not be operating, so parents have to make other arrangements.
Teachers in all day or specialist schools will be returning to their posts at 1400, while parents need to bring their children back to school at the same time and pick them up at the end of classes.
No lunch will be offered for all day school pupils.
Community kindergartens, operating in public kindergarten areas or Municipality and other community buildings, are established as private institutions, therefore teachers are considered private employees.
Hospitals
According to Okypy spokesperson Charalambos Charilaou, hospitals will be operating with emergency staff that will take over ER care, internal patients’ clinics and emergency operations. Charilaou told Politis that all urgent needs will be bet, but many scheduled operations will be postponed.
Airports
More than 50 arrivals and departures at the Larnaca and Paphos airports will be affected by the strike.
Rescheduling of flights for 15 thousand passengers is on-going, said a Hermes Airports spokesperson, with airlines expected to inform the public accordingly during the day.
“Passengers are advised to contact their airline, travel agent or ground staff directly to get more information on their flights’ new arrival or departure times.”
A list of all rescheduled flights will be uploaded on the Hermes webpage www.hermesairports.com and the public is advised to watch out for updates.
Police are also making all necessary arrangements to secure traffic on main urban arteries across Cyprus that may be affected by the strike.