Nicosia, Cyprus. Trade union Isotita has submitted a memorandum to the finance and labour ministers, raising concerns over its exclusion from consultations on pension system reform. The union said it had been left out of discussions in key institutional consultation forums.
Exclusion from consultation bodies
Isotita, which represents thousands of public and semi-government employees regardless of contract type, said it had been excluded from discussions within the Labour Advisory Body as well as other institutional consultation forums. It also said it had been excluded from Joint Staff Committees despite its broad representation.
Concerns raised in memorandum
In the memorandum, the union referred to major issues of legal, actuarial and social justice that it said directly affect fundamental, constitutionally guaranteed rights of tens of thousands of employees. It said it had identified serious distortions within the system that have had a significantly negative impact on the rights and pension benefits of thousands of its members.
Isotita said these distortions have been intensified and partly entrenched due to the absence of an independent supervisory authority for the special fund for the payment of pension benefits.
Legal and actuarial basis cited
The union said its memorandum is based on a comprehensive legal and actuarial analysis of the current legislative framework, including multiple national and European provisions. It cited Law 210(I)/2022, the Social Insurance Law 59(I)/2010, the Pensions Law 97(I)/1997 and Law 216(I)/2012 as part of its review.
It also referenced case law of the Supreme Constitutional Court’s plenary, with emphasis on the 2014 Koutselini-Ioannidou and others versus the Republic of Cyprus ruling. In addition, it cited European Union law, including Directive 2016/2341 on institutions for occupational retirement provision.
What steps do you think should be taken to ensure all representative unions are included in pension reform consultations?
