Staff at the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre staged a one-hour work stoppage on Friday, from 10am to 11am, demanding the reinstatement of a dismissed colleague.
Trade unions Sek and Peo called for transparency in the handling of the case, arguing that the staff member had been unjustly dismissed.
Sek representative Michalis Kazamias warned that if the employee was not rehired, “the measures will be escalated.” He added that the unions were working to ensure a safe and fair working environment for all staff.
The dismissed employee was held responsible for money missing from a fund, but according to Kazamias, she had never been issued a receipt by the accounting department when handing over the cash. The case was investigated for about eight months by a staff member still on probation, he said.
“For us, this is a clear sign that the disciplinary code was abused,” Kazamias added.
Peo representative Rolandos Kyriakou echoed the concerns, saying the work stoppage was a symbolic act of solidarity with the colleague.
He added that, according to the centre’s own disciplinary code, the investigating officer must be permanent staff and not on probation as in this case.
“It appears that he neither had the experience to conduct such research, nor had he conducted a similar investigation in the past,” Kyriakou added.
Kyriakou said the centre’s decision appeared to be “unilateral and targeted” and made no reference to the fact that there were “deficiencies” in the accounting department and that “no proof had been provided”.
Both Kazamias and Kyriakou assured the public that patients were not affected by the work stoppage.
Meanwhile, due to unforeseen circumstances, the chairman of the centre’s board of trustees, Christos Triantafyllides, postponed a scheduled statement. A new date for his remarks will be announced later.
Click here to change your cookie preferences