Nicosia, Cyprus. Civil servants trade union Pasydy welcomed the submission to parliament of three bills aimed at overhauling recruitment in the public service, citing serious weaknesses in the existing system and saying several union proposals were incorporated.
Union support and reform aims
Pasydy said the reform effort, led by Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, is intended to shorten the time required to hire permanent staff and to make the process more targeted and aligned with the needs of government departments.
“Pasydy welcomes the move by Keravnos, to modernise the recruitment process in the public service with the aim of shortening the time required to recruit permanent employees,” the union’s general secretary, Stratis Mattheou, told Politis.
Proposals and criticisms of the current system
Mattheou said Pasydy and the union’s directors’ branch had in recent months submitted letters with specific suggestions on modernising recruitment, and that several of those proposals were adopted in the bills now before parliament.
He said the previous system suffered from serious flaws and had failed to attract a satisfactory number of candidates. In some cases, he added, applicants moved from one position to another without clearly knowing which posts they were sitting exams for, despite having to prepare and pay a €50 fee.
He also said the union had received many complaints from department directors about what he described as the inefficiency of the existing system.
Next steps and legislative details
Pasydy said it would examine the bills in detail and, if it identified the need for further improvements, would submit its views to parliament.
The three bills, approved by the cabinet on April 8 and submitted to the House on Thursday, are the evaluation of candidates for appointment to the public service law of 2026, the public service (Amendment) Law of 2026, and the evaluation of candidates for appointment to the public service (Temporary Provisions) Law of 2026.
According to the explanatory report, the first bill changes the procedure for filling entry-level public service posts by requiring general written examinations to be held after vacancies are announced, rather than beforehand.
What changes to the recruitment process do you consider most important for improving public service hiring?