Nicosia, Cyprus. Police union Isotita on Tuesday called for a meeting involving President Nikos Christodoulides, Justice Minister Costas Fitiris and police chief Themistos Arnaoutis amid an ongoing dispute over police overtime.
Call for direct talks
Spokesman Nikos Loizides said the union wanted direct dialogue between all parties involved and sought discussions on working conditions affecting police officers.
He said that if the government did not take an initiative, the union intended to raise the matter in parliament once the new House begins its work.
“With the opening of parliament, if the president does not invite us to find the solution himself, we will invite the six parliamentary parties to the first meeting of the legal affairs committee,” he said.
Union criticism
Loizides said solutions existed but claimed discussions had not progressed.
“We have the solution and there is balance everywhere, but Arnaoutis himself does not want to sit at the table,” he said.
The union also referred to a letter dated May 28 from Fitiris to the European police confederation (Europol) concerning issues raised about police management and working arrangements.
Loizides criticised the contents of the letter, saying it contained “distortions, inaccuracies and, at the very least, untrue information”.
According to Loizides, the correspondence addressed concerns raised by Europol about the reduction of police officers’ rest days.
He said the measures affected operational police personnel and were not limited to office staff.