The Cyprus Workers Confederation - S.E.K., established in 1944, is one of the most important social partners in Cyprus within the framework of tripartite cooperation. SEK is for a number of years the most massive, powerful and influential trade union organization in Cyprus. The Confederation represents through its affiliated unions, workers in a11 sectors of the country's economic activity. The mass of members comes from the private sector, but SEK also represents the majority of workers in semi-governmental utilities and services and local authorities, as well as blue-collar public employees. The main aims of SEK are to protect and safeguard the workers' rights and interests through collective bargaining and to influence the appropriate bodies in forming labour and economic policies through social dialogue on national, sectoral and company level. Moreover, SEK plays a leading role ίη facing and tackling the new challenges arising from the continuous introduction of new technology, globalisation and harmonization as a result of the accession of Cyprus to the European Union.