MPs seek solution for education support staff without summer unemployment benefits

Nicosia, Cyprus. Around 300 employees in education ministry support programmes remain without unemployment benefits during the summer months, prompting MPs to call for a government solution at the House education committee on Wednesday.

Workers whose employment continues while programmes are suspended are not considered unemployed under current law and are therefore ineligible for unemployment benefits.

Employment arrangements

Diko MP Chrysanthos Savvides said support programmes were important to the education system but that current employment conditions did not provide sufficient security for staff.

“Workers have been without income for four months,” he said, calling on the government and the education, labour and finance ministries to find “the golden mean”.

A ministerial representative said the issue arose after workers were transferred to permanent contracts.

Committee response

Disy MP Prodromos Alampritis said the issue affected hundreds of teachers who had worked in support programmes for years.

He said the committee had given the education ministry three weeks to find a solution.

Akel MP Christos Christofides said employees had been left without income for four to five months after changes to their employment arrangements. He also raised concerns that staff lost recognition of their service when transferred between programmes.

Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou said social insurance could not legally provide unemployment benefits because the employees remained continuously employed by the education ministry.