Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Trade Unions called on Tuesday on everyone to take part in this year`s joint celebration of Labour Day, which will take place on Sunday evening, opposite Ledra Palace hotel in the UN-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia.

In a joint declaration, read by Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO) Secretary General Pambis Kyritsis in Greek and by Dev-Is President Hasan Felek in Turkish, they call on the leaders of the island`s two communities “to work with good will on all the issues on which convergences have been achieved, so that we can reach a just, mutually acceptable solution, based on political equality as defined by UN decisions and resolutions.”

A solution which will reunify Cyprus and the people who live in it, the declaration adds.

It further expresses the Unions` continued commitment to the effort for a bicommunal, bizonal, federation, with a single sovereignty, a single nationality, one international personality and political equality of the two communities as described in the relevant UN decisions.

In their statements the two Union leaders said they have been intensifying their joint activities and their fight against chauvinism and partition and that they have said “no” to the colonisation of Turkish Cypriots by Turkey, “no” to Troikas` impositions, “no” to the deregulation of working conditions, to privatisations, to austerity policies which abolish the social state and “no” to capitalistic rule, environmental destruction and to any form of discrimination.

Replying to a question as to why Labour Day celebrations will take part on Sunday which is the same day as the Greek Orthodox Easter this year, Kyritsis acknowledged that this is a problem as regards the participation of Greek Cypriots, but added that they chose to continue the tradition of jointly celebrating Labour Day.

This year participation on the part of Greek Cypriots may not be as big as last year, he said but “we will do our utmost and next year will return with larger events in the hope that next year we will celebrate Labour Day and Cyprus` reunification.”

Felek on his part expressed his conviction that after reunification Cyprus will be able to cover its economic needs on its own and that imperialistic circles who talk about the cost of the solution want to take advantage of Cyprus` wealth.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey