Workers at all Community Kindergartens in Cyprus are taking part in a 24-hour warning strike today.
According to a joint statement, during an emergency meeting of the Board of the Pancyprian Association of Community Kindergarten Teachers and in collaboration with the trade unions PASEY PEO and OYYK SEK, the decision was made to proceed with the strike as a necessary response to the ongoing indifference shown by the Ministry of Education. Despite repeated interventions and well-documented proposals submitted since September 2023, no official response or indication of progress has been provided.
The unions cite the following key demands and reasons for the strike:
- The continued downgrading and gradual shrinking of Community Kindergartens, which threatens the viability of the institution.
- The loss of jobs for qualified kindergarten teachers and school support staff.
- The failure to implement the 2018 agreement that foresaw the transfer of Community Kindergartens to School Boards — a move that would have resolved many of the current issues.
- The need for salary upgrades for Kindergarten Teachers and School Assistants.
- The revision of the 2012 circular that governs employment terms and operations, which is now considered outdated.
The unions sincerely apologise for the disruption this may cause to families and working parents, especially those from lower-income backgrounds who rely on the daily functioning of Community Kindergartens.
However, they stress that “the responsibility lies entirely with the competent authorities, who have failed to take even minimal action to safeguard an institution of great social importance.”
Finally, they make a heartfelt appeal to the Pancyprian Confederation of Parents of Pre-primary Education and all Parent Associations to stand by the side of the educators and school assistants in their just struggle for dignity, stability, and quality in public early childhood education.
Also read: Mandatory parental/guardians’ notification for kindergarten absences
Source: CNA
