Administrative court dismisses firefighters' compensation appeal for on-call duty

On June 18, 2026, the Administrative Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal filed by a group of Fire Service officers. The officers sought compensation for on-call duty performed between 2006 and July 29, 2015, a period during which the Fire Service was under the jurisdiction of the Cyprus Police. The court ruled, citing EU Court of Justice case law, that the EU Working Time Directive does not regulate employee remuneration. Consequently, the claim falls outside the scope of European Union law and remains under the jurisdiction of individual member states. The court affirmed the position of the Law Office of the Republic that it was the police force's authority to evaluate such claims. Furthermore, the court determined that the police had provided sufficient and lawful justification for their initial rejection of the request. The decision emphasized that on-call duty has not been legally established or defined with specific compensation terms. The court concluded that it cannot fill this legislative gap through judicial rulings.