Workers employed in support programmes run by the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth are escalating industrial action with a new 24-hour strike on 5 October and a nationwide protest outside the Presidential Palace.
Trade unions representing the workers say that despite commitments made by the government, key issues concerning their income and employment remain unresolved.
At an extraordinary general assembly held on 23 September, workers unanimously decided to strike on Monday, 5 October 2026, with a nationwide gathering outside the Presidential Palace at 10:00.
Unions say government commitments remain unfulfilled
According to the unions’ announcement, the decision followed their conclusion that none of the commitments made by the Education Minister and the government had been implemented despite the time allowed for dialogue and repeated assurances.
The unions said workers in the ministry’s support programmes had faced the consequences of what they described as flawed policies and decisions for years.
Since 2012, they had worked under a purchase-of-services arrangement which, according to the announcement, deprived them of basic employment and social rights.
Following years of industrial action, protests and court proceedings, the purchase-of-services system was abolished and legislation regulating employment in the support programmes was passed in 2026.
The workers said they had subsequently sought talks with the Education Ministry and the government to resolve issues arising from the implementation of the new legislation.
Their demands included securing workers’ income during periods when the programmes are not operating, advertising vacancies in time to ensure adequate staffing and protecting the jobs of people who have worked in the programmes for years.
Hundreds left without income for months
The unions said hundreds of workers were left without an income for around four months and that no permanent solution has yet been introduced to secure their income when the programmes are not operating.
They also accused the Education Ministry of failing to carry out the staffing procedure provided for under the law for programmes including the State Institutes of Further Education (KIE), EOA and Adult Education Centres.
According to the announcement, staffing needs remain while some previously employed workers face unemployment.
The unions said they had been hearing that the process would be delayed and that appointed teachers would instead be asked to work overtime. They said overtime had already been allocated to appointed teachers under the EOA programme.
They argued that employing appointed teachers in the programmes is not provided for under the legislation and would leave existing programme workers unemployed while increasing costs to the state through overtime payments.
Workers sought presidential intervention
The trade unions said they contacted President Nikos Christodoulides on 3 September 2026 seeking his intervention to resolve the dispute.
They called for either unemployment benefits to be guaranteed during periods when the programmes are not operating or for workers to receive 12 monthly salaries.
According to the unions, no substantive solution has been provided and commitments previously made have not been implemented.
They said workers should not be expected to bear the cost of delays and decisions for which they are not responsible.
Protest outside Presidential Palace
The education support workers strike on 5 October will include a nationwide gathering outside the Presidential Palace at 10:00.
The unions called on all workers employed in the ministry’s support programmes to participate in both the 24-hour strike and the protest.
They are demanding that additional staffing needs across the programmes, including KIE, Adult Education Centres, EOA, SMEEK and music schools, be covered through immediate fixed-term recruitment rather than appointments or contracts for permanent teachers.
They are also seeking a political decision allowing eligible workers to receive unemployment benefits or to continue receiving salaries in a similar manner to indefinite-term teachers in state schools.
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