Civil servants’ trade union Pasydy on Tuesday expressed outrage at what it described as an “unprovoked incident of attack” against workers at the social services office in the Limassol suburb of Yermasoyia on Monday.

It said a man “broke into the … office, causing disruption and material damage to the premises and demanding that the workers give him money”.

“It is fortunate that no physical harm was caused to the workers who were in the office at the time,” it added.

It said it “condemns this new attack” and “expresses its full support to the staff”, before adding that it is “concerned about incidents of violence which are on the increase”.

This, it said, “can justifiably cause disruption and concern among employees.

“Although some measures have been taken to protect and safeguard the areas where social welfare services are housed, we nevertheless consider that these should be further improved,” it added.

As such, it called on the social welfare services’ administrators to “further strengthen” measures to safeguard social services’ offices, and “to introduce additional protocols for the protection of workers.

“We also expect the administration to create a protocol for managing violent incidents as well as to further shield the reception areas of the offices,” it said.

“Ensuring appropriate building infrastructure will more effectively ensure the safety of both staff and citizens who seek service and will certainly contribute to minimising the risk of attacks from members of the public.”

Earlier, fellow trade union Isotita had issued a list of demands over how social services offices should be protected, including calling for private security at the office to be replaced by the police, “who have the institutional authority to enforce order and act as a deterrent”.

It also called for the installation of panic buttons and CCTV cameras, as well as for the introduction of staff training in crisis management and self-defence.

Later on Tuesday, the social welfare deputy ministry condemned the incident, adding “we express our full support to the staff, who work with dedication and professionalism every day to serve the public”.

It promised that it will “continue to upgrade security measures”, including by offering further staff training and coordinating with the police.

“Social service workers are an integral pillar of social cohesion and respect towards them is a must. The safety of both workers and the public whom they serve is non-negotiable, and incidents such as what occurred on Monday cannot be tolerated,” it said.