public sector

After EU court ruling, Isotita calls for civil service changes

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After EU court ruling, Isotita calls for civil service changes

A recent judgment by the EU’s Court of Justice (CJEU) could allow thousands of civil servants on fixed-term employment to become permanent workers, according to the Isotita union. The union has urged the government to make these employees permanent, following the CJEU’s judgment on February 22, which ruled that the indefinite extension of fixed-term employment contracts without a vacancy notice is an abuse that member states must prevent. The CJEU stated that simple compensation for unfair dismissal or awarding posts through competitions are not sufficient measures to prevent such abuses. The judgment implies that converting temporary contracts into permanent ones could be a necessary measure to address the issue. Isotita has reminded the government of the president’s pre-election promises regarding employment conditions and has called for immediate action to comply with EU law by making all affected workers permanent.

Green taxes: , ‘pay now, or later…but you have to pay’

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Green taxes: , ‘pay now, or later…but you have to pay’

The announcement of a new carbon or ‘green’ tax on motor fuel in Cyprus has been met with widespread disapproval from trade unions, industry leaders, and consumer advocacy groups, despite a general acknowledgment of its necessity. The tax will begin at 5 cents per litre in 2024, with additional levies on water consumption and hotel stays. It is expected to disproportionately affect low-income households, with an estimated average household spending increase of 0.37% in 2024, translating to a monetary welfare loss of €121 per household. The government has promised fiscal neutrality, planning to return the extra money spent by the public through offsets, including a €100 cash-back for low-income families in 2024. The green tax is part of a broader tax system overhaul aimed at encouraging a shift towards greener energy and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

North uni, ’s dentistry faculty has licence revoked

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North uni, ’s dentistry faculty has licence revoked

The dentistry faculty at Morphou’s Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (KSTU) had its license to teach temporarily revoked by the north’s higher education accreditation authority (Yodak) until January 31 of the next year due to ongoing investigations into a scandal involving the alleged issuance of fake diplomas. A former private secretary to a former ‘prime minister’, now a civil servant at the ‘labour ministry’, was arrested in connection with the scandal. He enrolled at the university on September 13, 2022, and received a four-year degree certificate on the same day after 61 course grades were entered into the university’s database within minutes. This degree enabled him to receive a pay rise in his public sector job. He was remanded in custody for two days for the police to calculate the financial gains from his alleged deception.

Cyprus slides in global Corruption Perception Index

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Cyprus slides in global Corruption Perception Index

– Cyprus ranks 49 out of 180 countries in the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International.
– Cyprus was awarded a score of 53 points in the 2023 CPI, which is a slight increase from 52 in 2022 but the same as in 2021.
– This score marks Cyprus’s lowest point since 2012, indicating a trend of increasing corruption levels.
– Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand are the top-ranked countries in the CPI as the least corrupt.
– Western European countries are showing a decline in the CPI, suggesting a need for stronger anti-corruption measures.
– Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria are the lowest-ranked countries in the Western Europe region.
– Cyprus has satisfactorily dealt with nine out of 16 recommendations from the latest Greco report on tackling corruption.
– One recommendation not implemented by Cyprus concerns the independence of prosecutors.
– A bill regarding the independence of prosecutors is currently before the Cypriot parliament.

Another firework?

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The text discusses the argument that politicians and judges should be well-paid to prevent corruption. The author argues that regardless of how much they are paid, if someone can be bribed, they will be. The author also suggests that increasing salaries in the public sector can attract lazy, corrupt, and incompetent individuals. The author concludes that the solution is not to increase salaries, but to choose and punish public servants better.

Sick leaves in public sector to be reduced from 42 to 28

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Sick leaves in public sector to be reduced from 42 to 28

The Minister of Finance, Makis Keravnos, announced that sick leave days in the public sector will be reduced from 42 to 28. Non-certified sick leave days will be reduced from 8 to 6. Sick leave periods may be extended to three instead of two. Long-term sick leave will have different benefit levels. Approval for sick leave extensions will no longer require approval from the medical board, but instead a medical certificate and approval from the relevant supervisor. There have been cases of abuse of sick leave rights leading to these changes. The legislation governing sick leave needs to be modernized.