Staff at the Deputy Ministry of Culture stage work stoppage over budget control concerns

On September 16, 2026, personnel at the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Department of Antiquities held a one-hour spontaneous work stoppage from 09:00 to 10:00. The protest was triggered by concerns over the Director-General of the Ministry, Giorgos Papageorgiou, and his efforts to consolidate budgetary control under his office for the 2027 fiscal year.

The civil servants' union, PASYDY, claims that Papageorgiou requested the Ministry of Finance to transfer Financial Control Officer posts from the Department of Antiquities to the central Deputy Ministry. According to the union, these administrative changes were initiated without prior consultation with the political leadership, specifically Deputy Minister Klea Papaellina, or the heads of the affected departments. Staff members argue that this move seeks to strip individual departments of their autonomy and undermine the administrative roles of department directors. Additionally, the protest included reports of alleged bullying by the Director-General.

The union has warned that if the administration does not take corrective action to reverse these attempts at centralization, it is prepared to escalate with further dynamic measures. The current situation remains tense as workers await a formal response from the management regarding these organizational changes.