Employees working in the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth’s Support Programmes have decided to stage a new 24-hour strike on Monday, 5 October 2026, accompanied by a nationwide gathering outside the Presidential Palace at 10am.
The decision was taken during a new Extraordinary General Meeting on Tuesday, after unions PASEY PEO and OEKDY SEK concluded that, despite the time allowed for dialogue and repeated assurances, none of the commitments made by the Education Minister and the government had been implemented.
Years under services-purchase arrangement
According to the unions, employees in the Support Programmes have suffered the consequences of misguided policies and decisions for years.
Since 2012, they had been working under the services-purchase arrangement, which, they say, deprived them of basic labour and social rights.
Following years of struggles, strikes, mobilisations and legal proceedings, the services-purchase arrangement was abolished and the relevant legislation regulating employment in the Support Programmes was passed in 2026.
The unions say that from the outset they called on the Education Ministry and the government to address, through dialogue and consultation, all issues arising from the implementation of the new legislation.
Among other matters, they raised the need to safeguard employees’ income during periods when the programmes are not operating, announce staffing needs in good time and protect the jobs of people who have worked in the programmes for years.
Hundreds left without income for four months
Despite repeated meetings, letters and interventions, the unions say the serious problems remain unresolved.
Hundreds of employees were left without income for approximately four months, while no permanent solution has been provided to safeguard their income during periods when the programmes are not operating.
At the same time, the Education Ministry has not proceeded with the staffing procedure provided for by law for KIE, EOS and the Adult Education Centres, despite existing needs and the fact that several employees who previously worked in the programmes will be left unemployed.
The unions say they are hearing daily that the process will be delayed and that appointed personnel will instead be asked to work overtime.
They also report that appointed personnel have already been given overtime work in the EOS programme.
Unions question use of appointed staff
The unions argue that employing appointed personnel in the programmes is not provided for by law.
They also maintain that it is not morally right for Support Programme employees to be left unemployed while other staff receive overtime payments, particularly when this results in a greater cost to the state.
On 3 September 2026, the trade unions also wrote to the President of the Republic, seeking his intervention to resolve the issue permanently.
They called either for unemployment benefits to be safeguarded or for employees to receive 12 monthly salaries.
According to the unions, no substantive solution has been provided to date and none of the commitments undertaken has been implemented.
“It is not possible for employees to be called upon once again to pay the cost of delays, omissions and decisions for which they bear no responsibility. They cannot continue living on promises and commitments that remain on paper,” the unions said.
Employees unanimously back escalation
The Extraordinary General Meeting unanimously decided to escalate industrial action, calling on all employees in the Support Programmes to participate in both the strike and the gathering outside the Presidential Palace.
Employees are demanding the immediate implementation of commitments to cover additional staffing requirements through the immediate announcement of fixed-term positions across all programmes.
These include:
- KIE
- Adult Education
- EOS
- SMEEK
- Music Schools
They are also calling for a political decision allowing eligible employees to receive unemployment benefits or salaries during periods without work, as applies to indefinite-term teachers in public schools.
The 24-hour strike and nationwide gathering are scheduled for Monday, 5 October 2026, with the demonstration outside the Presidential Palace beginning at 10am.
Source: CNA
