Public sector hourly workers in Cyprus to receive wage increases

Hourly employees in the Cypriot public sector will receive a salary increase at the end of November 2026. While the Council of Ministers approved the agreement last week, technical and procedural delays prevented the adjustments from being processed with the October payroll. Consequently, the payments will be issued in late November, including retroactive pay effective from October 1, 2026.

The salary hike is part of a collective agreement for the 2025–2027 period, which stipulates a total wage increase of 3.5%. According to the agreement, 2% will be applied retroactively as of October 1, 2026, while the remaining 1.5% is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. Some sources, such as PASYEK PEO Secretary General Stavros Andreou, noted that for lower-paid workers, the total cumulative increase could reach up to 7%.

To finalize the implementation, the Department of Public Administration and Personnel must transmit the formal agreement to relevant unions and workers for final approval. Additionally, specific departments such as OKYPY and school boards will need to receive circulars to ensure the new payroll structure is correctly applied across all entities.