Social Insurance and Older People in Cyprus by Gregory Neocleous

Author:Gregory Neocleous
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030029463
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

4.5 Summary

The introduction of the social insurance scheme in Cyprus does not seem to be the outcome of the government’s or employers’ benevolence but rather the result of the struggle by Cypriot workers. Social insurance in Cyprus was not an initiative of the colonial administration or the local elite. The role of the labour movement towards the responsibility of employers to contribute to the social insurance Fund was very important. As a major actor for the introduction of a social insurance scheme in Cyprus and within a capitalist environment, the labour movement set the foundations for the welfare state. The long struggle for social insurance in Cyprus brought positive changes to the local society in terms of social insurance benefits, which eventually allowed an improvement in their living and working conditions.

Certainly, life for Cypriots in the late 1950s was considerably improved compared to the living and working environment in the early decades of the twentieth century. Registration of trade unions provided a formal role in the campaign for welfare legislation with registered trade unions allowing the labour movement to argue its claims in a more systematic and formal manner. This can be linked to the trade union context and its advocate role towards more radical changes and the introduction of new legislations.

The more organized form that the labour movement developed through trade unions helped it to organize various strikes that accompanied its campaigns for welfare reform. As a result, the 1930s and 1940s were marked by massive protests many of which lasted for a considerable time. The result of this action—both through the Hull Report and introduction of labour laws to protect workers—significantly contributed to paving the way for the introduction of an, albeit limited, social insurance system. This can be associated to the context of social movements and their actions in order to achieve their purpose, through riots, strikes and revolutionary acts.

In the absence of a system of social insurance or other forms of social welfare protection, the introduction of legislation on public assistance in 1953 contributed significantly to addressing poverty, especially among the elderly population. As illustrated by data from the Welfare Office, the highest proportion of public assistance recipients included people older than 60 years, an indication of the importance of social insurance for this particular age group.

For the labour movement the implementation of the law on social insurance in 1956 was the fruit of a 30-year-long campaign. Although initially the legislation excluded self-employed persons and farmers, trade union activists admitted that omission should not minimize the success of the long struggle but that it was also an opportunity to continue the campaign to further improve the scheme in order to cover the entire population. Social insurance can be linked to the context of welfare state where it is expected to provide the means to the citizens of a state that would allow them to satisfy their basic needs for food, shelter, health and old age.

As this chapter brings the discussion to the end of the 1950s

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