Around 300 employees working in education ministry support programmes remain without unemployment benefits during the summer months, with MPs calling on the government to resolve the issue at the House education committee meeting on Wednesday.

Workers whose employment continues during the summer despite programmes being suspended, mean that are not considered unemployed under current law and therefore cannot receive unemployment benefits.

Diko MP Chrysanthos Savvides said support programmes play an important role in the education system but argued that current employment conditions do not provide sufficient security for staff.

“Workers have been without income for four months,” he said, calling for the government and the education, labour and finance ministries to find “the golden mean”.

Disy MP Prodromos Alampritis said the issue affected hundreds of teachers who had worked in support programmes for years.

He said the committee had given the education ministry three weeks to find a solution.

Akel MP Christos Christofides said employees had been left without income for four to five months after changes to their employment arrangements.

He also raised concerns about staff losing recognition of their service when transferred between programmes.

Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou said social insurance could not legally grant unemployment benefits because the employees remained continuously employed by the education ministry.

A ministerial representative said the issue arose after workers were moved to permanent contracts.

Previously, contracts were terminated during the summer, allowing employees to claim benefits.

A representative for the labour ministry said the law required employment to have been terminated for benefits to be paid and that the employees remained in active employment.