Nationwide Strike by Hourly-Paid State Workers Looms for September 17

Strike Deadline Set for September 17

Roughly 7,500 hourly-paid employees across the Cypriot civil service are on course for a 24-hour nationwide walkout on 17 September unless the government puts forward a revised wage proposal before then. The action would also draw in around 1,700 hourly-paid staff at the state health services organisation, Okypy, and more than 3,000 school support workers.

Unions Reject August Offer as Insufficient

Three union bodies are behind the threatened action: the civil servants' union branch Oekdy-Sek, the democratic labour federation Deok, and the construction workers' branch Pasyek-Peo. According to Deok representative Andreas Antoniou, the unions dismissed the state's 5 August proposal for a new 2025-2027 collective agreement, arguing it amounted to no pay rises at all over three years despite steady economic growth and a rising cost of living.

"Very Low" Wages at the Heart of the Dispute

Oekdy-Sek's George Constantinou framed the campaign as defensive rather than confrontational, stating: "Our goal is not to strike or cause suffering to the public or workers. Our goal is to reach an agreement that improves wages, which are very low." Pasyek-Peo's Stavros Andreou described strike action as a "last resort," cautioning that pressure would escalate if the government's stance does not shift. Unions note that hourly-paid staff have gone roughly 15 years without a significant increase and now trail private-sector counterparts in comparable roles.

No Government Movement Since Early August

As of 20 August, no fresh developments had emerged since the 5 August offer, with unions still waiting for a ministerial committee to convene and put forward improved terms. The standoff comes as labour tensions simmer elsewhere in the public sector: unions at the Electricity Authority of Cyprus separately agreed to hold off their own planned industrial action until September, citing strained conditions across the electricity system, though that dispute is unrelated to the hourly-paid workers' pay claim.