Workers at north’s Pepsi producer go on strike

Workers at Ektam, the north’s producer of Pepsi and other well-known soft drinks, have gone on a 24-hour strike, claiming that the company has deprived them of the right to unionise.

The workers first gathered outside the company’s headquarters on Friday night, with a spokesperson for trade union Dev-Is telling the Cyprus Mail that the company has been “ignoring the laws” relating to organised labour in the north.

As such, the spokesperson said, the workers wished to unionise, and joined a union affiliated with Dev-Is, with union representatives then calling a meeting with the company’s management.

However, according to the spokesperson, the company’s management then “threatened everyone and attempted to force them to sign resignation letters”.

The workers then refused, with the spokesperson saying that the company’s management has since threatened to close down the factory entirely and lay every single worker off.

As well as Pepsi, Ektam is the north’s supplier of 7Up and popular local soft drinks including Pergama flavoured water and Yedigun soda.