Public sector hiring freeze

Parliament passed into law on Thursday a government bill freezing new hires in the broader public sector in 2015.

The measure extends by one year the hiring freeze in the central government and semi-governmental organisations. A similar prohibition had been in effect in 2013 and 2014.

It is intended to keep at bay the state payroll due to the ongoing slump. The government is essentially bankrupt, and has to rely on regular bailout tranches from international lenders. Around a quarter of the 2015 state budget was funded by these foreign cash injections.

Under the terms of the bailout agreement, the government must gradually reduce the number of public-sector employees by some 4,500 in the period 2012 to 2016.

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.