Cypriots block British military base in jobs protest

About 200 Greek Cypriots blocked access to a British military base today to protest against job outsourcing.

Residents of the village of Acrotiri in the sovereign base area, which employs about 250 local residents, oppose the outsourcing of base services to a private contractor.

“We don’t want a private employer, we demand to be employed by the British” Ministry of Defence, said local official Giorgos Christou.

A base spokesman said the protest was largely peaceful, though scuffles broke out when base police unsuccessfully tried to open a way for children to go to school and night workers to return home.

The protesters said police used force, injuring several people.

“I am going to the doctor now because my ribs hurt,” Christou said. He claimed a man had been bitten by a police dog.

British military authorities have assured residents that their rights will not be affected, but locals vowed to persevere until the jobs were secure.

Former colonial ruler Britain maintains two military bases on Cyprus, which gained independence in 1960.

The other base is at Dhekelia in eastern Cyprus.