The Cyprus Civil Servants' Trade Union (PASYDY) is escalating its long-running campaign on behalf of Fixed-Term Employees (EOX) by filing cases before the Industrial Disputes Court, seeking the conversion of thousands of fixed-term contracts into contracts of indefinite duration.
The legal action concerns fixed-term employees who have completed 30 months of service, either continuously or cumulatively, regardless of the type or form of the successive contracts under which they have been employed.
Many of the affected employees work across government ministries and deputy ministries, with a large number filling vacant posts and covering permanent staffing needs.
Legal action launched
Alongside its political and trade union efforts, PASYDY has entered into cooperation agreements with the law firms Sotiris Argyrou & Associates LLC and Scordis, Papapetrou & Co LLC, which will handle the cases and represent participating employees.
The union has already circulated information to eligible members, inviting them to complete and submit an authorisation form together with supporting documentation so their cases can be evaluated and processed.
The participation fee for each claimant is €150, while PASYDY will cover the remaining legal costs, including any additional expenses such as VAT.
Applications must be submitted by 13 November 2026.
PASYDY calls for negotiated solution
PASYDY secretary-general Stratis Matthaiou described the employees' claim as fair and well-founded.
He argued that successive governments have employed fixed-term workers to meet permanent needs while offering them less favourable employment terms, creating expectations that they would eventually be professionally regularised.
At the same time, Matthaiou called on the Ministry of Finance to pursue a consensual solution that would benefit both the state and fixed-term employees without affecting the rights of permanent civil servants.
More than 4,000 indefinite employees already in public service
According to figures recently provided by the Department of Public Administration and Personnel, there are currently 4,295 employees on contracts of indefinite duration (EAX) across the public sector.
The largest number work within the Ministry of Health, particularly in medical and nursing roles, while significant numbers are also employed in the Ministry of Education.
Examples highlighted in the article include:
- 206 permanent employees and 219 indefinite employees in the School Attendants sector.
- 68 permanent employees and 115 indefinite employees in Pharmaceutical Services.
- 238 permanent employees and 220 indefinite employees in Postal Services.
Advancement remains the main difference
Matthaiou noted that, following union efforts, most employment conditions and rights of employees on indefinite contracts have been aligned with those of permanent staff, including:
- Annual leave.
- Sick leave.
- Pension rights.
- Salary-related benefits.
The main remaining difference concerns career progression and promotion opportunities.
PASYDY has already submitted a draft bill to the Ministry of Finance, prepared by the union's legal adviser, proposing a framework to address advancement rights for employees on indefinite contracts.
The issue was discussed during an information meeting with fixed-term employees in April, and again at PASYDY's 63rd Congress in May, where the status and rights of employees on indefinite contracts featured prominently.
