PASYDY appeals reform commissioner appointment

Government workers union PASYDY on Tuesday filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the appointment of the public service reform commissioner, which they consider illegal.

The union claims the appointment is unconstitutional and has no legal basis.

In its appeal, PASYDY said no such position  is provided for by any legislation or the budget, while Emanuella Lambrianidi is also a civil servant.

PASYDY said it was obvious that the commissioner’s duties and responsibilities were tasks carried out for decades by the public administration and personnel department, currently headed by Kypros Kyprianou,  Lambrianidi’s senior.

PASYDY also suggested that the commissioner’s actions, apart from neutralising all customary consultation and negotiation procedures, negatively affected the workers’ established rights.

The move comes around a month after President Nicos Anastasiades warned that his administration would not tolerate any delays to plans to reform the civil.

In a policy statement, the president acknowledged that any change was initially viewed with scepticism and reservation and that was why there was a will for continuous communication and dialogue with public servants to dispel those concerns.

“On the other hand I want to be clear: We will not display the slightest tolerance to delays due to bureaucratic obstacles, the establishment, and outdated perceptions,” Anastasiades said.

The president said society, which is experiencing the effects of an antiquated system, was on the government’s side in this, as were the overwhelming majority of civil servants “who are the first victims of a counterproductive system.”