Nicosia, Cyprus. The Isotita trade union has described the dismissal of prison guard and union official Giorgos Maltezos as “manifestly illegal” and said it will pursue legal action against the justice ministry’s decision.
Ministry decision
The justice ministry said Maltezos, who was employed on an indefinite contract, was dismissed after a disciplinary investigation found repeated noncompliance with official instructions and unauthorised absences from duty.
It said the conduct constituted a serious breach of official duties and justified the termination of his employment.
Union response
Isotita rejected the ministry’s reasoning, saying Maltezos was dismissed without notice or compensation despite serving as vice president and spokesman of the prison guards’ sector council and as a member of the union’s board.
The union said the dismissal decision stated that his conduct could serve as a role model or foster similar perceptions and practices among other staff members.
It argued that the disciplinary proceedings concerned absences related to trade union duties rather than failures to carry out his duties as a prison officer.
According to Isotita, the absences had been communicated in advance and in writing to the prisons department, while no specific operational damage resulting from them was recorded in the case file.
Planned complaints
The union questioned the timing of the dismissal, noting that it came three days after the state submitted observations to the European social rights committee concerning trade union rights.
Isotita said it would request that the committee include the dismissal in the complaint, seek suspension of the decision and call for Maltezos’ reinstatement.
It also said it would submit complaints to the International Labour Organization’s committee on freedom of association, the trade union commissioner, the auditor general and the independent authority against corruption.
