Cypriot teachers threaten to strike

Teachers' unions Oelmek, Oeltek and Poed are demanding an immediate meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides to discuss the implementation of an agreement on permanent teaching positions.

The three unions met to discuss the issue and will reconvene on Friday to assess the situation, saying all available measures are on the table — including strike action.

They are calling for the implementation of the agreement reached in November 2023, which provides for more permanent teaching posts and a reduction in the number of non-permanent staff.

Speaking after the meeting, Poed chairwoman Myria Vasiliou said the failure to implement the agreement has led to staffing shortages in schools.

Vasiliou stated that it is unlikely the agreement will be fully implemented in the upcoming school year.

"You understand that this is a red line for us," she said.

The unions will meet again on Friday to decide on further actions and hope that Christodoulides will meet with them beforehand.

Oelmek chairman Demetris Taliadoros said the education ministry informed the unions on Monday that it would not submit a supplementary budget for additional permanent positions for 2025–2026.

Taliadoros said Christodoulides should act as a “guarantor” of the agreement.

He noted that every summer, the unions face the same delays in staffing schools.

"They promised to prepare a supplementary budget. Then they said they wouldn’t. These positions should have been included in the 2025 budget," he added.