Nicosia, Cyprus. Electricity authority (EAC) employees began a 24-hour strike at midnight, with trade unions not ruling out escalating measures. EAC said critical infrastructure was not expected to be affected and skeleton staff would be on duty.
Service closures and consumer guidance
During the strike, EAC headquarters and customer service officers will remain closed. The authority advised consumers to use online services, apps, banks and post offices to pay bills.
Applications during the strike
EAC said consumers seeking connection, disconnection and transfers during the strike can send an email to the authority, including for monitoring applications for connection and photovoltaic systems.
Union reaction after meeting with energy minister
On Tuesday, trade unions said they were disappointed after meeting Energy Minister Michael Damianos, who said problems in the energy sector could not be solved overnight. Sek representative Kyriacos Tafounas said Damianos could not provide solutions to the EAC’s problems for another three or four years, adding, “by that time we won’t have electricity,” and said excluding EAC from renewable energy sources was not to the benefit of consumers.
Possible escalation and broader concerns
Peo representative Demetris Constantinou said on Tuesday that the unions’ positions were aligned with those of the EAC board of directors and did not rule out escalating measures. EAC board chairman George Petrou said the unions’ major concerns were about telecommunications authority Cyta entering the energy market and that the strike was not over differences with EAC but with the state.
How will the 24-hour strike affect your access to EAC services?
