European Trade Union Committee for Education

After the strike of 13 July 2018, OELMEK, POED and OLTEK, ETUCE member organisations in Cyprus, continue denouncing the unilateral decisions taken by the Cypriot government with a 48-hour strike on 18-19 September 2018.

Joined by the whole school community, the education trade unions reported the success of this protest action.

The action followed the ultimatum the Cypriot government had given to the unions to accept the below proposals:

• increase teaching time of education personnel at all levels by 40 periods in Cyprus;
• partially and/or completely eliminate special programmes aiming at supporting disadvantaged students, students with foreign citizenship and from a migrant background;
• remove the exemption from teaching for trade union duties and activities.

Confirming ETUCE’s support for the education trade unions in Cyprus, Susan Flocken, ETUCE European Director said, “Following this dynamic protest action involving the majority of actors in the education system -teachers, students and parents- the Cypriot government officials should hear the voice of the society and invite education trade unions to the negotiation table”.