Unions call off 48-hour state hospital strike after draft pay deal

Six unions on Friday suspended a 48-hour strike at state hospitals planned for November 10 and 11, after the board of the state health services organisation (Okypy) approved a draft renewal of their collective agreement. Trade unions took the decision at a joint meeting after being told in writing that the board had ratified the draft, which they received on November 4. Talks are not finalised however, and unions will meet Okypy again on Tuesday, November 10, to conclude the agreement and set a date for signing. The strike was announced on October 26 over annual pay rises and the personnel structure, which the unions linked directly to understaffing and the standard of patient care. They said the agreement that expired last year had not been fully implemented, and that talks had stalled over how salary scales would apply from 2028. Okypy had urged them on Sunday to hold off, saying there was room to continue talks. Spokesman Charalambos Charilaou said, “the organisation’s concern is its people, its staff and its well-being”. He said consultations had produced substantial progress on teleworking, rest leave and service plans, and that work was under way on salary grades and organisational structures left over from the previous agreement. The main dispute centred on a proposal to link part of salary increases to a performance evaluation system, which Charilaou said would recognise each employee’s contribution more fairly, to the benefit of patients. He said cabinet had decided on the annual pay increase and a bill would go to parliament in November. The agreement covers about 1,600 staff, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, and technical and administrative employees.