Social welfare officers across Cyprus are set to hold a 24-hour warning strike on Friday, 23 October 2026, in protest against what they describe as serious and longstanding problems within the Social Welfare Services.
According to an announcement by the Pancyprian Union ISOTITA, the strike will be accompanied by a protest gathering outside the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare at 9am.
The union is demanding immediate solutions, or specific commitments to address the problems by Christmas, arguing that the current situation is affecting both employees' working conditions and the quality of support provided to the public.
ISOTITA says the services continue to face severe staff shortages, excessive caseloads, growing administrative requirements and unsuitable workplaces, including offices with inadequate safety measures.
The consequences extend beyond employees, the union argues, directly affecting citizens who depend on timely social protection and assistance, particularly vulnerable individuals and families.
A decade of promises without meaningful change
In its announcement, ISOTITA criticised what it described as a decade of repeated announcements about restructuring and modernising the Social Welfare Services, without the necessary changes being implemented.
The union said officers had spent years compensating for shortcomings in the system by taking on additional responsibilities, while also being held accountable for the service's wider weaknesses.
A sectoral union body was established in 2024, followed by letters, parliamentary interventions, specific proposals and industrial action. However, ISOTITA said these efforts had failed to secure a meaningful response to its demands.
At a general meeting in May 2026, the officers set a deadline of 15 October for solutions to be advanced.
According to the union, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Marilena Evangelou requested additional time on 13 October, indicating that a plan outlining possible future solutions might be available around Christmas.
ISOTITA acknowledged that the deputy minister had only recently taken up her duties but pointed out that the ministry had seen three deputy ministers in the space of a year, while its administrative leadership had remained unchanged and was already familiar with the problems.
“Every change of deputy minister cannot mean that the waiting starts all over again,” the union said.
Four demands for immediate action
The union has identified four key demands that it believes could provide a starting point for addressing the accumulated problems.
The first is the withdrawal of recent circulars which, according to staff, have increased bureaucracy and transferred additional responsibilities to social welfare officers.
ISOTITA also criticised the requirement for officers to sign declarations confirming that they had received, read and understood every instruction. It said this approach had replaced a promised set of clear, consolidated guidelines that the administration had undertaken to provide in December 2025.
The second demand is for responsibility for emergency financial assistance to be transferred to the Welfare Benefits Management Service.
According to the union, this responsibility was assigned temporarily to social welfare officers in 2014 but remains with them 12 years later, adding to their workload and creating further inconvenience for members of the public seeking assistance.
The third demand is for maximum caseloads to be established for each officer and programme.
ISOTITA says these limits should take account of the seriousness and complexity of individual cases, helping to ensure that people receive the attention and support they need.
The fourth concerns workplace safety, with the union calling for immediate protective measures, a police presence where necessary and faster relocation to suitable premises.
Safety concerns after incident in Larnaca
ISOTITA highlighted what it described as inadequate security arrangements at some Social Welfare Services offices.
The union referred to an incident in June at the Ayioi Anargyroi offices in Larnaca, where, according to its account, a service user damaged the cars of five employees with an iron bar.
Officers argue that authorities must act before a more serious incident occurs, rather than waiting for an escalation before introducing safeguards.
The union also stressed that finding appropriate buildings and coordinating the relevant services were responsibilities of the administration and should not be transferred to frontline staff.
It is calling for immediate safety measures alongside the acceleration of relocation procedures for offices considered unsuitable.
Union calls on politicians and public to support strike
ISOTITA said dialogue with the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare would continue despite the decision to strike.
However, it insisted that announcements and promises were no longer sufficient, demanding concrete action with measurable results by Christmas.
The union has called on all social welfare officers to participate in the strike and protest, regardless of their trade union affiliation.
It has also appealed to political parties and MPs, saying they have already been informed about the situation and acknowledged the need for action. The union is now asking them to demonstrate practical support, both by attending the protest and through specific parliamentary interventions.
Members of the public have also been urged to support the mobilisation.
ISOTITA said addressing the problems facing the Social Welfare Services was directly linked to the effective protection of children, families and vulnerable people who rely on social welfare provision.
