Support programme teachers seek unemployment benefits during suspensions

Nicosia, Cyprus. Teachers working in education ministry support programmes demonstrated in central Nicosia on Thursday, seeking access to unemployment benefits when the programmes are not operating.

The teachers also called for safeguards for employees transferred between programmes.

Memorandum submitted

Teachers gathered outside Pasydy’s offices before marching to the presidential palace. Representatives of Oekydy-Sek and Pasey-Peo submitted a memorandum addressed to President Nikos Christodoulides.

The memorandum was received by Victoras Papadopoulos, director of the presidential press office.

Government response

Union representatives George Konstantinou and Andreas Kounnis said the government had received their demands positively and agreed to take action.

Konstantinou said Papadopoulos told them that the government accepted their requests and that action would be taken to advance them.

He said the education ministry would proceed with announcements to staff its programmes and training centres for the current year, while the process for granting unemployment benefits would be expedited.

Papadopoulos requested two weeks to advance the requests.

Employment concerns

The teachers said the issue dates to 2012, when their employment was brought under the service market model, which they said deprived them of important employment rights.

They said legislation passed this year regulating the employment of fixed-term, full-time and part-time employees in the support programmes had not resolved all issues arising from the previous system.