Teachers’ unions to protest teacher appointment reforms on October 8

Nicosia, Cyprus. Teachers’ unions Poed, Oelmek and Oltek will hold a protest outside the presidential palace on October 8 against the education ministry’s proposed legislative changes to the teacher appointment system.

The unions said the amendments do not ensure teachers’ working conditions or job security and called for dialogue, comprehensive planning and specific guarantees.

Union positions

The organisations will present their positions at a press conference on October 5.

They said it was contradictory for the state to rely on teachers for years to cover public school needs while leaving them exposed to continued job insecurity.

“It is unacceptable to consider their service as necessary for schools to operate but inadequate when it comes to securing their work environment,” the unions said.

They added that the government had been delaying solutions by maintaining pending issues.

Concerns over appointment lists

The unions said teachers on either the appointment list or the appointable list were not merely numbers, but people who had worked, gained experience, supported students and school units, and contributed to the operation of public education.

They called for respect, justice and job security for teachers who have supported public schools.

Earlier on Monday, Cyprus News Agency sources said the organisations had met Education Minister Athena Michaelidou in recent days but had not reached an outcome they considered satisfactory.

The organisations, which met on Thursday, said the system would be unfair to a large number of teachers. The education ministry had not presented an updated proposal and appeared set to abolish the appointment list without safeguarding teachers’ rights, the sources said.