The Electricity Authority of Cyprus’ (EAC) trade unions, Epopai, Sidikek, Sepaik and Syvaik, announced on Thursday that they had suspended planned strike action until September, citing the “difficult conditions” facing the country’s electricity system.

In a joint statement, the unions said recent developments had “confirmed in the worst way” the warnings they had been making for years about the state of the electricity sector.

They expressed concern over the inconvenience caused to consumers by the recent power cuts, arguing they had become necessary because of state failures and the “inability of independent institutions to ensure sufficient electricity in the area”.

“With sincerity and a sense of responsibility towards society and consumers, we assure that all EAC employees are making and will continue to make superhuman efforts night and day to immediately correct any damage that may occur, both in power plants, as well as in the distribution and transmission networks,” the groups added.

The unions also criticised the government for failing to present solutions to the country’s energy challenges, saying a meeting on Wednesday with Energy Minister George Papanastasiou and Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki had produced no new proposals.

Describing the situation as one of continuing “energy insecurity”, they called on the government to take immediate action and said they had decided to postpone industrial action in light of the current circumstances.

“Taking into account the difficult conditions prevailing in the country’s electricity system, the industrial measures announced are suspended until September 2026,” the unions said.

The announcement follows the government’s decision to impose rolling power cuts across parts of the island on Wednesday after demand outstripped available electricity generation during one of the hottest days of the year.