Supreme court upholds thoc compensation ruling for former actors

On June 16, 2026, the Supreme Court of Cyprus issued a final ruling in a long-standing legal dispute between actors Stavros Louras and Giorgos Mouaimis and the Cyprus Theatre Organization (THOK). The actors were originally hired by THOK in 1996 and 2001 respectively, serving under renewable annual contracts until their employment was terminated in September 2012. The Labor Disputes Court had previously awarded them €22,436 and €19,850 in severance pay. The actors appealed the decision, arguing that their service time before 2003 should be included in the calculation, as their contracts had effectively become indefinite-term agreements. They contended that their tenure should be measured from the start of their initial hiring rather than from the 2003 enactment of the Fixed-Term Employees Law. The Supreme Court unanimously rejected this appeal, confirming that the 2003 law does not apply retroactively. The court concluded that prior to 2003, their employment relationship with THOK was governed by public law rather than private labor law, thus upholding the initial compensation amounts.