Truck drivers strike at Limassol port over health concerns

On Thursday morning, trailer truck drivers at the Limassol port launched a spontaneous work stoppage to protest the relocation of a container X-ray diagnostic machine. The protest follows the decision by the Customs Department to install the scanning equipment near the entrance of the Eurogate Container Terminal, an area frequently accessed by drivers throughout their work shift.

According to Kyriakos Moustakas, Central Organizing Secretary of POVEK, the drivers fear that the radiation from the scanners is carcinogenic and poses a significant risk to their long-term health. While the Customs Department has previously assured stakeholders at a meeting with the Ministry of Transport that there is no cause for alarm, the workers reject these claims. Despite requests to relocate the equipment to a different site, the machinery commenced operations at the contested location yesterday, triggering the current labor action.

This dispute highlights ongoing tensions regarding workplace safety protocols at the port. The drivers maintain that their health concerns have been ignored by the authorities, leading to the sudden cessation of operations as a measure to demand a safer alternative placement for the equipment.