Community nursery workers across Cyprus will stage a 24-hour warning strike on June 3, in protest against the government’s ongoing failure to address serious concerns about the future of public early childhood education.

The walkout was announced after an emergency meeting of the board of the Pancyprian association of community nursery school teachers, held in cooperation with trade unions PASEY PEO and OYYK SEK. In a joint statement, the unions said the strike is a necessary response to what they described as the education ministry’s persistent indifference. Since September 2023, they have submitted detailed proposals and requests for dialogue, but say there has been no official response or sign of progress.

At the heart of their demands is what they describe as the ongoing downgrading and gradual shrinking of the community nursery system. This, they argue, puts the entire institution at risk, leads to job losses for qualified teachers and assistants, and undermines support for working families. They also point to the government’s failure to implement a 2018 agreement that would have seen the transfer of community nurseries to the control of school boards – a step unions say would have resolved many of the current problems.

The workers are also calling for pay upgrades for both teachers and school assistants, and a revision of a 2012 circular regulating working conditions, which they say is now outdated and unfair. Union representatives apologised for the disruption the strike may cause, especially for working parents from low-income households who rely on the services of these nurseries every day.

However, they stressed that the blame lies solely with the authorities, who they say have failed to safeguard a service of vital social importance.

The unions are urging the Pancyprian confederation of parents of pre-primary education and all parent associations to support their campaign, which they describe as a “just struggle for dignity, stability and quality in public pre-school education.”