Teachers’ unions Poed, Oelmek and Oltek will protest outside the presidential palace on October 8 to protest the education ministry’s “insistence on new legislative regulations concerning the teacher appointment system”, they announced on Monday.

The organisations, who said the amendments do not secure the work environment of teachers, will present their positions at a press conference on October 5.

“It is contradictory for the state to use teachers for years to cover the needs of public schools and at the same time leave them exposed to continuous job insecurity. It is unacceptable to consider their service as necessary for schools to operate but inadequate when it comes to securing their work environment,” the unions said.

They pointed out that “the government has been wasting time maintaining pending issues instead of giving solutions.”

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The teachers that are either on the appointment list or the appointable list “are not just numbers. They are people who worked, obtained valuable experience, supported students and school units, and contributed substantively to the smooth operation of public education”, the unions said.

The unions are demanding a dialogue, comprehensive planning and specific guarantees for teachers.

“General assurances do not convince anyone. The teachers who supported and continue to support public schools deserve respect, justice and job security,” the unions added.

Earlier on Monday, Cyprus News Agency sources said the organisations had met Education Minister Athena Michaelidou over the past few days but did not reach a conclusion they were pleased with.

The organisations, which met on Thursday, claimed the system would be “unfair” on a large number of teachers.

In the meantime, the education ministry had not produced an updated proposal and appeared to be set on abolishing the appointment list “without securing the rights of the teachers”, the sources said.

The sources said the organisations’ demand for amendments to legislation so that teachers on indefinite contracts could not be made redundant had not been accepted, which had displeased teachers’ unions Poed, Oelmek and Oltek.

On September 2, Michaelidou confirmed the government was preparing an updated proposal to reform the teacher appointment system, as unions warned they would oppose any such changes they believe could leave experienced teachers without permanent jobs.

Speaking after a meeting of the House education committee, Michaelidou said the ministry was consulting educational organisations and intended to finalise its proposal in the autumn, ahead of the planned abolition of the existing appointment list on September 1, next year.

Under the current system, teachers can enter an appointment list and wait for permanent employment in public schools.

Legislation introduced reforms to gradually replace the list with a system based on examinations, with the transition due to end in 2027.

Michaelidou was adamant that the government would not yield on reforming the system.