The police branch of the union Isotita on Tuesday challenged a decision by police chief Themistos Arnaoutis to reduce police officers’ rest days, warning it is prepared to pursue legal action.

In an open letter, the union criticised the plan to scale back officers’ rest days from 19.5 to five, calling the move “a direct violation of established rights.”

This cut effectively adds 15 working days per year without adequate recovery time, which the union warns could jeopardise officers’ physical safety and decision-making during high-pressure situations.

The police leadership intends to introduce the changes as of January 1.

According to Politis, the changes would affect anywhere from 1,600 to 1,800 police officers. These officers currently work 12-hour shifts – from 7am to 7pm – on one day, and get the next day off.

Under the current system, that works out to 19.5 rest days a year.

The leadership wants to reduce their shift by one hour – from 7am to 6pm – but then also restrict the rest days to just five.

In its letter, Isotita said the one-hour gap in security force coverage would come about under the new schedule, which the union argued “poses risks to the security of the state and the public.”

It also pointed out that officers would suffer a financial impact, estimating an annual salary loss of around €1,000, whereas officers with desk jobs as well as officers guarding politicians remain unaffected.

The trade union recalled that police officers’ working hours were harmonised with the civil service only in 2021 through an agreement and parliamentary regulation. The attempted change, the letter said, “disturbs labour peace” and disregards critical parameters.

Furthermore, Isotita noted that the measure violates the principle of non-regression in social rights, as defined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The union’s open letter emphasised that “invoking administrative weaknesses or understaffing cannot legally justify the degradation of fundamental labour rights.”

It warned that placing the entire burden of covering service vacancies on ordinary police officers and sergeants “violates the principle of equal treatment and disrupts the cohesion of the police corps,” while fostering inequalities through possible preferential treatment of certain departments.

“It is obvious that the attempted change aims to cover the huge gaps observed in key departments,” the letter said, “but it does so incorrectly through the work exhaustion of existing staff instead of a rational restructuring of the organisational chart and the necessary transfers or recruitments.”

The union said it would not accept the intended schedule change and would take legal action to block it.

It stressed this was no time to tinker with the work schedule, as Cyprus will soon take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, when additional policing will be required.

Meanwhile Isotita has made its grievances known to EuroCop –the umbrella organisation for 35 police unions and staff organisations in Europe based in Luxembourg.

This prompted EuroCop to intercede on behalf of the Cypriot police officers.

Nigel Dennis, head of office at EuroCop, wrote to the police chief and the justice minister, urging them to reconsider.