The decision of the Board of the English School to dismiss three female teacher trade unionists is criminally unacceptable and vindictive

Statement by Giorgos Loukaides, AKEL Parliamentary Representative, after the meeting of the Parliamentary Education and Culture Committee

– The President of the Republic must take on his responsibilities

24 August 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

First of all, I would like to note that as we said at the last meeting of the Parliamentary Education Committee, it is confirmed that we are facing a fait accompli on the part of the English School Board of Governors. Decisions have been taken to dismiss the three teacher trade unionists whose only “misconduct” was to assert rights for all the English School teachers. They have been persecuted and dismissed because of their trade union activity. This has been confirmed at today’s meeting.

At the same time, and in the words of the representative of the Ministry of Labour, the obviousness of what has happened has also been confirmed. That is, for the first time it appears that trade unionists in the middle of a labour dispute have been dismissed. It has never happened before. And that suggests and substantiates how extreme the Board’s action is, how criminally unacceptable and vindictive it is.

What is happening is unacceptable. And because of the tragic nature of what is happening, we have called upon the Board to reconsider the issue, with a view to revoking its decision.

As we have said within the Committee too, we have no great hope that they will review their decision, since they are step by step implementing something that they decided long ago. The responsibility is shifted fully on the President of the Republic, who appointed the current Board and is therefore responsible for the fact that this Board is acting in this criminally unacceptable, vindictive and illegal way.

We therefore expect the President of the Republic to take on his responsibility.