Nicosia, Cyprus. The House plenary on Thursday unanimously approved amended regulations that will take prior service in the public sector into account when calculating employees’ annual leave. The changes apply retroactively from January 2018.
How leave was previously calculated
Until now, annual leave for public-sector workers was calculated on a staggered basis, with entitlement increasing according to years of service in the specific post to which an employee had been appointed.
What the new rules change
Under the amended regulations, leave days will now be calculated based on years served in other public-sector positions, not only in the employee’s current appointed post.
For example, previous service on an open-ended contract will now count toward annual leave if the employee is later appointed as a civil servant.
Who is covered
The changes cover previous service in the police, fire department, military, public education and organisations governed by public law, such as CyTA and the EAC. They also apply to government temporary staff paid on an hourly basis.
Retroactive effect and employment data
The regulations are intended to ensure that no one working in the broader public sector loses any leave days. The new provisions apply retroactively from January 2018.
According to official data, total employment in the broader public sector stood at 78,388 in the first quarter of 2026.