Teachers working in support programmes run by the education ministry staged a demonstration in central Nicosia on Thursday, calling for access to unemployment benefits during periods when the programmes are not operating.

Teachers gathered outside Pasydy’s offices before marching to the presidential palace, where representatives of their unions Oekydy-Sek and Pasey-Peo submitted a memorandum to President Nikos Christodoulides.

The memorandum was received by presidential press office director Victoras Papadopoulos.

Union representatives George Konstantinou and Andreas Kounnis said the government had positively received their demands and agreed to take action.

Konstantinou said Papadopoulos told them that “the government accepts our requests and actions will be taken to move forward and be accepted”.

Demonstration, Nicosia, teachers, protest, union, unions, Oekydy-Sek and Pasey-Peo
(Photo: Christos Theodorides)

He said the education ministry would proceed with announcements for staffing its programmes and training centres for the current year, while the process for granting unemployment benefits would also be expedited.

Papadopoulos had requested two weeks to advance the requests onwards.

The teachers are seeking unemployment benefits during periods when the programmes are suspended, as well as safeguards for workers who are transferred between programmes.

Their memorandum states that matter stems back to 2012, when their employment was brought under the service market model, which they said deprived them of important employment rights.

They said legislation passed this year regulating the employment of fixed-term, full and part-time employees in the support programmes had failed to resolve all issues arising from the previous system.

The teachers welcomed an intention communicated by education minister Athena Michaelidou yesterday to proceed with the tender process for two programmes which both require fixed-term staff.

They called on Christodoulides to personally intervene to secure unemployment benefits during the hiatus between school terms, as in other sectors, or alternatively to provide 12 monthly salaries, as received by permanent teachers in public schools.

Kounnis warned that the unions would escalate their action if their demands were not met.

He claimed the palace’s position represented a victory for the unions following recent statements by the education minister.

“We do not want to inconvenience anyone, we do not want to be on the streets”, he insisted.

“What we want is proper treatment for our workers, for everyone to have equal rights to cover daily needs.”