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State hospital strike called off after Okypy board approves draft deal
Six unions suspended the 48-hour walkout planned for 10 and 11 November after being told the board had ratified the draft agreement. Talks continue on Tuesday.
Six unions have suspended a 48-hour strike at state hospitals planned for 10 and 11 November after the board of the State Health Services Organisation (Okypy) approved a draft renewal of their collective agreement.
The unions took the decision at a joint meeting on Friday after being told in writing that the board had ratified the draft, which they received on 4 November. The draft covers 2026 and 2027.
About 1,600 staff would have taken part, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, and technical and administrative employees.
The walkout was announced on 26 October over annual pay rises and the personnel structure, which the unions linked 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 the unions 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.
Pay and appraisals
The main dispute centred on a proposal to link part of salary increases to a performance evaluation system. Charilaou said the system would recognise each employee’s contribution more fairly, to the benefit of patients.
The unions opposed making the appraisal link a condition of the new agreement. They had proposed 3 per cent rises for each year with no link to individual appraisals, while Okypy had offered 2.75 per cent for 2026 and 2.5 per cent for 2027, with 25 per cent of each rise dependent on appraisal. Those were the positions before the latest draft.
The terms of the draft approved on Friday were not published in the reports. It is therefore not clear whether the appraisal link remains, what increases the draft sets out, or whether union members will be asked to vote on it.
Charilaou said cabinet had decided the annual pay increase and a bill would go to parliament in November.
What happens next
The unions will meet Okypy again on Tuesday 10 November, the first day the strike would have started, to finalise the agreement and set a date for signing.
The reports did not say whether hospitals would change any scheduled appointments or procedures. The unions have not announced further action.
Sources (3)
- Cyprus Mail, Unions call off 48-hour state hospital strike after draft pay deal, 6 November 2026 . Reports the suspension, the board vote, the dispute and Charilaou's comments.
- Philenews, Unions suspend 48-hour state hospital strike after draft deal, 6 November 2026 . Reports the six unions, the 2026-2027 draft and the 10 November meeting.
- Philenews, Public hospital staff hold firm on 48-hour strike over pay and appraisals, 30 October 2026 . Reports the two sides' pay positions and the proposal to link part of the rise to appraisals.