A woman becomes GS of the Pancyprian Labour Federation
Sotiroula Charalambous, a former Labour Minister in the Christofias administration, was on 10-12-2021 elected new General Secretary of the Pancyprian Labour Federation (PEO), for the first time in its long history.
She has also served as Akel MP and becomes the first woman to lead a labour federation in Cyprus. Her election came as the 28th PEO Conference elected its new 125-strong general council.
Born in Agios Memnonas, Famagusta in 1963, Charalambous studied politics and social sciences in Sofia and started working as a trade union official at PEO in 1986. She held a number of posts, heading the women’s chapter for Larnaca-Famagusta, becoming secretary of the women’s central office, executive secretary of PEO, central organisational secretary and deputy general secretary.
She was Minister of Labour from 2008 to 2013 and an Akel MP from 2001 to her appointment to cabinet.
Addressing the Conference, Charalambous said she was fully aware of the task ahead, noting particularly the critical juncture for working people, labour relations and trade unionism. The pandemic in the past two years has led to decisions which have affected work and the life of the working people, she said noting that insecurity and concern for the future have been used to expand cheap labour.
The Conference has given a clear mandate to the new general council to continue efforts to introduce arrangements to ensure minimum wages and basic benefits for all, she added.
She also pledged to work to put an end to efforts to undermine collective agreements and promote personal contracts. We hope to be able to publish the full text of her speech at a later stage.
