Cyprus social services go on strike: dispute over programs for people with disabilities

Employees of the Υπηρεσίες Κοινωνικής Ευημερίας (ΥΚΕ – Social Welfare Services) held a 24-hour strike in protest against an administrative decision which, in their view, violates principles of fairness and the proper distribution of duties.

The workers staged the protest outside the Υφυπουργείο Κοινωνικής Πρόνοιας (Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare), holding signs and chanting slogans: “Όχι στις απειλές και στον εκφοβισμό” (“No to threats and intimidation”), “Τα άτομα με αναπηρία αξίζουν ποιότητα και όχι προχειρότητα” (“People with disabilities deserve quality, not negligence”), “Σεβασμός στην αξιοπρέπειά μας” (“Respect our dignity”).

The protest was triggered by a decision to assign the ΥΚΕ as contract coordinators for developing individual support programs for people with disabilities. The civil servants’ union ΠΑΣΥΔΥ (PASYDY – Pancyprian Public Employees Union) called this distribution of functions “μονομερές και άδικο” (“one-sided and unfair”), stressing that it was decided by the ministry’s General Director Yiannis Nicolaides without proper dialogue with staff representatives.

PASYDY clarified that it supports the very idea of individual programs but insists that their coordination should remain under the Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Ενσωμάτωσης Ατόμων με Αναπηρία (ΤΚΕΑΑ – Department of Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities), not transferred to ΥΚΕ.

According to the union, employees gave the authorities time to negotiate after the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare promised to review the issue. However, PASYDY claims that the General Director’s actions effectively undermined the dialogue process.

The Ministry, in turn, described the strike as “βιαστική και αδικαιολόγητη” (“hasty and unjustified”). Officials said that discussions with unions are ongoing and will resume next week. At the same time, the ministry expressed regret about possible inconvenience for citizens using ΥΚΕ services.

It was noted that no one questions the necessity of developing individual programs for people with severe disabilities. The dispute concerns solely which department should act as coordinator. The ministry emphasized that this issue can only be resolved through constructive dialogue.