Paphos EOA defends recruitment procedures

Paphos district government organisation (EOA) insisted on Monday that all recent recruitment procedures were carried out in accordance with existing legislation, following questions over delays in publishing results and the evaluation process used for certain positions. It said that all procedures followed complied with legislation. The EOA said it had faced significant understaffing across several departments since beginning operations, creating urgent need for personnel. It said that where legislation allowed for an exclusively oral examination process, this option was used in accordance with the law. “This choice was not made outside the prescribed procedures but within the framework established by law,” the organisation said, adding that the aim was to complete recruitment more quickly and address immediate staffing requirements. Regarding communication with candidates, it said all participants were informed individually by letter on whether they had been selected. It added that where written examinations were held, results were published in the official government gazette, as required by law. The clarification follows questions over why the results for some candidates had not been published on the Paphos EOA website, despite some successful candidates reportedly already taking up their positions. Concerns had also been raised over the evaluation method used for certain posts, including mid-to-high ranking positions on salary scales A9 and A13, (€33,810 up to over €77,000) where selection was based solely on personal interviews. The EOA insisted these procedures were applied only where permitted by law and rejected claims that recruitment processes had deviated from the established framework.