Cyprus’s State Health Services Organisation (SHSO) has offered state hospital staff across-the-board pay rises of 2.75 per cent for both 2026 and 2027, dropping the link to performance appraisals, ahead of a 48-hour strike planned for next week.
The offer was discussed on Wednesday at a meeting the SHSO had called with the unions in an effort to reach agreement before the strike. The SHSO’s board must approve the proposal before it is formally sent to the unions, which are expected to receive it by Friday, the deadline for the two sides to complete the process.
The unions will then hold a joint meeting to decide whether to accept the offer or press ahead with the strike. Until they decide, the stoppage on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November remains in place.
The new offer raises the 2027 increase from 2.5 to 2.75 per cent and removes the link to appraisal. Under the previous proposal, 75 per cent of each rise was fixed and the remaining 25 per cent depended on performance appraisal. The unions had asked for 3 per cent in each year, with no link to appraisal.
Appraisals will continue at the SHSO but will no longer be a condition for pay rises. The organisation stresses their importance as a tool for staff development, for recognising employees’ contribution and for continuously improving services to patients.
The offer also provides for talks to begin immediately on staff organisational structures and pay scales, which form a separate chapter of negotiations on the collective agreement. The unions had aimed to reach agreement on the pay scales by mid-2027, so that they could take effect on 1 January 2028.
The unions were also told that a bill amending the law to let the SHSO grant pay rises every year, rather than every three years as at present, has already been drafted.
The SHSO described Wednesday’s meeting as constructive and said it was optimistic about a positive outcome. The unions postponed a planned press conference that day because of the meeting and the continuing talks.
