Education support program employees stage 24-hour strike

Employees of the Ministry of Education's support programs went on a 24-hour strike on October 23, 2026, to protest the lack of income support during the summer months and unresolved employment disputes. The protest took place at the Ethnomartyr Kyprianou Lyceum in Nicosia, where trade union representatives from PASEY-PEO and OEKDY-SEK publicly accused the ministry of failing to reach a genuine agreement and misleading the public regarding ongoing negotiations.

Union officials Andreas Kounnis and George Constantinou stated that over 100 workers in these programs are currently unemployed, while more than 300 individuals have been left without income for five to six months. Despite being reclassified as indefinite-term employees, staff at the state training institutes report facing extreme financial instability, including an inability to pay loan obligations. Unions maintain that the ministry has repeatedly delayed discussions with requests for postponements.

The trade unions have warned of a second 24-hour strike scheduled for November 2, 2026. Furthermore, they have threatened to escalate the situation into an indefinite strike unless their core demands regarding income replacement and the proper implementation of relevant laws are formally addressed by the government.